At SporTran in Shreveport, Louisiana, leadership views technology modernization as a necessary investment in reliability, accessibility and long-term service growth. Through a partnership with Avail Technologies, the agency has implemented an integrated suite of tools designed to improve communications, enhance operational awareness and give riders easier access to real-time transit information.
“We operate 33 buses at peak time,” said Johnny May, SporTran director of transportation. “We do have around a total of about 90 vehicles combined throughout the system with buses and also mobility vans.”
The deployment reflects a broader vision within SporTran to position the agency at the forefront of transit technology while continuing to serve the practical needs of riders throughout the region.
“We were looking for a system that would be able to provide us with real-time bus information,” said Cynthia Thomas, director of service planning and terminals at SporTran. “We can click on the button and be able to check our buses in real time. And not only just for us as the staff that works for us as an agency, but we wanted something that was friendly and easier for our passengers as well.”
That vision ultimately led SporTran to Avail Technologies through a formal bidding process focused on identifying a platform capable of modernizing both internal operations and the passenger experience.
Technology-Focused Vision
According to Rebecca Lundin, director of customer success at Avail Technologies, SporTran leadership entered the project with a clear objective: adopt modern transit technology capable of improving visibility, communication and customer information delivery.
“Dinero’ Washington, the CEO at SporTran, is very interested to make sure that he’s using the latest technology, that his agency is technologically advanced,” Lundin said. “SporTran’s tendency is to look for kind of the best technical solutions to some of the problems they were having.”
One of the agency’s primary goals centered around improving real-time operational awareness.
“A lot of the problems they were having before we worked with them had to do with incomplete information about where buses were at a time,” Lundin said. “You can make a radio call, but you don’t always get the latest and greatest.”
At the same time, SporTran wanted to provide passengers with accurate, accessible real-time information regarding bus locations, delays and service conditions.
“If something is going on with a particular route, if we were experiencing delays due to mechanical issues, trains, etc., this information will be able to be available to our passengers,” Thomas said. “This is what we were looking for; to be able to get something that was easy, friendly and something that was accurate and will provide us with great information.”
Building an Integrated System
The resulting deployment included multiple integrated technologies designed to support both riders and agency personnel.
Greg Kilbride, systems engineer at Avail Technologies, said one of the major components involved replacing SporTran’s legacy communications approach with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.
“VoIP communication was a real big one for them,” Kilbride said. “They’re actually one of our best adopters as far as our VoIP system goes.”
The agency distributed smartphones to supervisors and staff members to improve communications with operators and vehicles throughout the system.
“They had about 50 smartphones purchased to allow a lot of their staff members with the vehicles in case there’s an issue,” Kilbride said.
The communications modernization also represented a significant operational change for employees accustomed to legacy radio systems. During the adjustment period, SporTran credited Avail’s responsiveness and support throughout the transition process.
“We had a great relationship with Avail,” Thomas said. “If something was happening or wasn’t operating correctly, we were able to reach a representative pretty quickly. And if they weren’t able to walk us through, then they sent somebody out from Avail on site to make sure that we got everything working correctly.”
In addition to communications upgrades, the deployment included a full suite of passenger information tools.
“SporTran got their own branded app,” Kilbride said. “You go to the app store, you download the SporTran bus app. It’s exactly what they want.”
The app allows riders to access real-time bus location data and service information directly from their smartphones.
For passengers who may not use smartphone apps, SporTran also implemented Avail’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
“If a rider doesn’t want to download the app, they can just dial in a phone number, punch in a stop and get that info,” Kilbride said.
The agency further strengthened passenger communication efforts through physical bus stop improvements and signage updates.
“SporTran did a real good job of rebranding all of their metal bus stop signs,” Kilbride added. “They redesigned it, they added in all the passenger information tools and rolled that out.”
According to Kilbride, the improvements help riders immediately access real-time information directly from the stop itself.
“Any rider can just walk up to a bus, see the sign and get the information right at their fingertips,” he said.
Leveraging existing infrastructure
A major focus during implementation involved integrating Avail’s technology with systems SporTran already had in place.
“We did a bunch of extra in-vehicle integrations as well,” Kilbride said. “We connected into their camera system, to their head sign system, to their infotainment system.”
The approach allowed SporTran to modernize operations without discarding functional legacy investments.
“We were able to put our system in the bus, not break any of the existing systems they have, and also share some extra information to streamline things for SporTran,” Kilbride said.
The agency also pursued integration between Avail and other operational software platforms, including Optibus Ops.
“That was a first integration for Avail and Optibus on that side,” Kilbride said. “We worked with SporTran to design the look and feel, how it should function, and did a ton of testing to make sure the data was flowing through the system right.”
The integrated approach supports tighter coordination between scheduling, dispatch and operational management functions.
“We could receive the vehicle assignments and the operator assignments to tighter integrate against our pull-up management and yard management systems,” Kilbride said.
The project additionally included automatic passenger counters (APCs), which SporTran now uses to gather ridership information throughout the system.
“They’re fare free and we installed just new APCs for them,” Kilbride said. “That’s how they’re collecting their ridership information.”
Training for system-wide adoption
From the outset, both organizations emphasized the importance of training and adoption. SporTran leadership understood that the value of the system would depend heavily on employee familiarity and confidence.
“We actually collaborated with Avail quite heavily on getting everyone trained up on how to properly use their systems,” said Trevor Hunt, director of information technology at SporTran.
The agency implemented a phased rollout strategy leading up to full deployment in August 2025.
“It was a tiered rollout,” Hunt said. “We did get some new arrivals on the Fixed-Route side, and as those came in, we got the Avail system installed. By that time, I’d say the majority of everyone was already pretty trained up and knew what to expect from the Avail system.”
Training occurred across multiple departments and operational roles.
“The first initial training was with myself, Mr. May, who is the director of transportation, and pretty much the executive team that is responsible for the day-to-day operations,” Thomas said.
May said the phased approach helped employees gradually become comfortable with the new technology rather than being overwhelmed by a full system change all at once.
Training began virtually before progressing to hands-on sessions conducted onsite.
“We had a representative come out and do hands-on training with us so that we could be comfortable and familiar with the system,” Thomas explained.
As implementation progressed, additional departments received tailored instruction.
“We trickled it down to different departments,” Thomas said. “Supervisors had training, our mechanics, shop employees had training, customer service representatives had their individual training.”
Avail similarly structured its support approach around gradual adoption and long-term continuity.
“We provide targeted training for the agency’s trainers and supervisors so that they can pass on that knowledge to new employees,” Lundin said.
Avail also participated in operator meetings to conduct direct training with drivers and frontline employees.
“We had a trainer at one of their quarterly operator meetings to train as many of the active bus drivers as possible,” Lundin said.
Over time, training sessions evolved from guided instruction into collaborative problem-solving and data analysis discussions.
“Toward the end of the project, Greg led a number of sessions that we call advanced reporting training,” Lundin said. “We’ve got a system, it’s live, it’s producing a ton of data. How do we interpret that data and how do you use it to meet your agency’s needs?”
Operational Visibility And Maintenance Insight
Once fully deployed, SporTran employees quickly began identifying operational advantages across departments.
“From the shop side, after we got the full buy-in, a lot of the maintenance personnel became more familiarized with the system,” Hunt said. “The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.”
The system’s diagnostic visibility has proven particularly valuable for maintenance personnel.
“It actually tells you some issues that are actively going on with the vehicle right as they occur upon startup,” Hunt said. “That’s been a very, very big benefit.”
The increased visibility extends throughout the agency’s operations.
“You get an overarching view of everything that’s going on with your vehicles from the location,” Hunt said. “Everyone from our riders to our dispatchers to our maintenance technicians to everyone with access to the Avail system can tell us exactly where a vehicle is.”
That real-time awareness improves communications, operational responsiveness and overall situational understanding.
“You’ve basically got as close as you can get to eyes on the vehicle without actually laying eyes on the vehicle,” Hunt added.
Driving Rider Engagement
While operational visibility represented a major internal benefit, SporTran also focused heavily on public engagement and rider adoption.
Candace Bradford, director of marketing, communications and advertising sales at SporTran, led efforts to familiarize riders with the new tools.
“We did a full website campaign where I uploaded a how-to guide on actually how to download the app to your smartphone or device,” Bradford said.
The campaign included step-by-step instructions showing riders how to use the system.
“It shows step by step on what to click on, how you can actually view where you’re going, where you’re trying to get to, and what the app will show you by each phase,” Bradford explained.
SporTran also conducted outreach directly at transit facilities.
“We hosted a “How to Download the App” campaign with the riders at the terminal as well, where we passed out some handouts and helped riders download the app to their device,” Bradford said.
The agency complemented those efforts with an extended awareness campaign leading up to launch.
“I also posted daily Coming Soon content leading up to the launch, getting people excited about what’s to come,” Bradford said.
According to SporTran leadership, rider adoption increased steadily as passengers became more familiar with the system.
“At first it was kind of slow,” Thomas said. “A lot of them were just used to the old-fashioned way of how to get the information.”
That changed once riders experienced the convenience and simplicity of the new platform.
“Once they saw that it was just simple — just a click of a button — then we saw over time that the passengers enjoyed it,” Thomas said.
The ability to receive service alerts and delay notifications also helped strengthen engagement.
“They can receive texts and register to if something’s going on with the bus, they will receive a text message letting them know a bus was delayed,” Thomas explained.
Over time, riders increasingly embraced the new tools.
“More and more of the passengers got excited,” Thomas said. “Everybody adopted and accepted it and saw that it wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. It was so easy for them to get bus information quick and easy.”
An Evolving Partnership
For Avail, SporTran is more than a completed implementation. The relationship continues to evolve through ongoing support and future projects.
“At the end of a project, what we try to do is have a smooth transition into support,” Lundin said.
Rather than handing the agency off to an entirely new team, Avail maintains continuity between project staff and long-term support personnel.
“It’s our job to make that transition relatively seamless for the agency,” Lundin said.
That ongoing collaboration is already expanding into additional initiatives, including new wayside signage projects.
“One of the exciting things about this one is that even after the original project wrapped up, there’ve been a number of other things that they’ve been really interested in doing with us,” Lundin said.
For SporTran, the investment reflects a long-term commitment to modernization and service quality.
“There are always builders that come up with new product and new plans that we may take on in the future,” May said.
As the agency continues to evolve, leadership believes the technology foundation now in place positions SporTran to better serve both employees and riders moving forward.
“It helps set us up for the future,” Hunt said. “Everyone with access to the Avail system can tell us exactly where a vehicle is.”