Vehicle Modes

Vehicle Modes alter normal operations and should only be used as directed by your agency policy. Differences between agency policies might cause these features to be either regularly or seldomly used, such as the Driver Off/Driver On mode button.

However, you should never use some features, such as Manual Mode, without clear authorization from dispatch or a road supervisor. These agency representatives should not provide that authorization without clear understanding and instruction from Avail Support. If desired, each mode can be disabled. Contact Avail support for more information. 

Now we'll detail each of the modes:

• Manual/Automatic
• Out of Service
• Driver Off/Driver On
• Driver Off Mode with Driver Lock Screen
• Discharge

Manual/Automatic

This mode overrides the normal operation of the ADA stop announcements. If the announcement system is not making automatic stop announcements or you are not able to make the ADA announcements, dispatch can authorize you to use the manual announcement mode.

While in Manual Mode, the vehicle reports only its location and does NOT send stop and schedule adherence data to the backend. Consequently, the vehicle does not provide the public with any myStop information. Additionally, the vehicle does not appear on the Web page, phone applications, and electronic signs.

• When the button displays Manual, the system is in Automatic mode.
• When the button displays Automatic, the system is in Manual mode

Out of Service

The Out of Service mode indicates that a vehicle that was providing service has been removed from service. It was specifically designed to give agencies the flexibility to move vehicles to transit centers, garages, etc., without the vehicle miles being captured as revenue service, and to disable specific vehicle intelligent system functionality (Next Stop, Headsign, APCs, etc.) while the vehicle is in Out of Service. Example use cases include taking a vehicle from the garage as a tripper or returning a vehicle to the garage due to maintenance issues. While the vehicle is in Out of Service mode, the vehicle still reports to myAvail dispatch the vehicle’s location and Driver logon information and allows for calls and messaging.

Setting the vehicle to Out of Service mode changes the Headsign to the property’s standard out-of-service message. When a vehicle is in Out of Service mode, myAvail dispatch displays the vehicle status as out of service. Because the vehicle is no longer providing service, the myAvail system removes it from all myStop displays (i.e., Web page, phone applications, and electronic signs).

The Out of Service mode should only be used when a vehicle operator or maintenance employee needs to move a vehicle that does not require the reporting of revenue service information or schedule data. This mode should not be used for scheduled Layovers because the myAvail system is still monitoring the vehicle for schedule adherence during the layover.

When an operator presses the In-Service button to return a vehicle to service, myAvail performs a time-based search of the current run to determine which trip the vehicle is on. If vehicles are off schedule significantly, operators will need to use Trip Select to choose the correct trip.

• When the button displays Out Of Service, the system is In Service mode.
• When the button displays In Service, the system is Out Of Service mode.

Layovers

The Out of Service button is not to be used for layovers. If a layover needs to occur, the operator must do the following:

1. Select the button on the MDT
2. Next, touch the  button
3. Enter the numerical value that correlates to the Out of Service headsign display. This action will update the headsign to Out of Service
4. Once the layover is done, you must type in the appropriate numeric code for the trip ID before service resumes.

Driver Off/Driver On

Use this mode only when directed by your agency's policy. Some agencies use this mode when operators need short, unscheduled breaks. This mode does not affect automatic passenger counters, which continue to count boards and alights. Optionally, this mode can disable the farebox and notify dispatch.

• When the button displays Driver Off, the system is in Driver On mode.
• When the button displays Driver On, the system is in Driver Off mode.

Driver Off Mode with Driver Lock Screen

The myAvail in-vehicle system can be configured to lockout the MDT screen if the Driver On/Off mode is set to Driver Off. This optional feature is typically tied to a requirement for logging off the Farebox when the operator logs off, but the vehicle does not need a farebox for this feature.

If this feature is enabled and the operator sets the mode to Driver Off, the MDT will display a Driver Lock screen like this:

When the operator returns to the vehicle, they must enter the Run or Block ID, whichever is applicable, and press the Unlock button. If the operator enters an incorrect work piece ID, the following screen will appear to indicate an entry error.

If the myAvail in-vehicle system is configured to enable the Driver Off Lock screen feature, changing to the Driver Off mode will automatically set the Headsign, PR, and Route signs to display Out of Service. When the operator returns to the vehicle and changes the mode back to Driver On, the signs will display the current service information.

The Driver Off Lock screen will disappear if the operator moves the vehicle out of the trigger box.

If you forget your Run or Block ID to unlock the MDT, contact dispatch to perform a manual logoff of the vehicle using the myAvail fixed-end app. Dispatch can also provide you with the correct Run or Block ID so that you can logon to the vehicle using the myAvail application logon screen.

Discharge

When the vehicle is at capacity or behind schedule, dispatch can instruct operators to go into Discharge Only mode. operators press the Discharge Mode button to switch to this mode. The system changes the Headsign to indicate to everyone that the vehicle is only discharging riders.

The button label changes to DISCHARGE OFF on the display-only version of the MDT. Press this button again to return to normal operations.

NOTE: On previous versions of the MDT, the button label is CANCEL DISCHARGE.

myAvail notifies dispatch when operators select Discharge mode and when they return to normal operations.

• When the button displays Discharge, the system is in normal mode.
• When the button displays Discharge Off, the system is in discharge-only mode.