The Vehicles feature of the Transit Assets product suite is used to manage your agency's revenue vehicles and assign them to a Fleet after Fleet groups have been created. This feature can be used for fixed route operations, demand response, maintenance, supervisors, or other functions, depending on configurations.
Your agency will use this feature to add new vehicles purchased (for example, a recent bus-buy where the vehicle must be entered into the system to be recognized by your ITS software). You can also importantly edit vehicles (for example, inactivating a vehicle that is being retired).
The Vehicle list on this page will default to only Active vehicles. To show or filter Inactive vehicles, the user can apply Filter in the right top corner of the page.
Use the Search field to find a specific vehicle by entering a vehicle number or description.
To add a new vehicle:
1. Click on the Add Vehicle button.
2. On the Basic Info tab, enter or confirm the following vehicle details.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
| Field | What to enter or select |
|---|---|
| Vehicle ID* | Enter the vehicle’s unique identification number in your system. |
| Description* | Enter a short, recognizable description, such as “2018 Gillig 35ft CNG.” |
| Active | Select if the vehicle record is active. |
| Fleet* | Choose the fleet the vehicle belongs to. |
| Revenue Vehicle | Select if the vehicle is used for revenue service, such as carrying passengers. |
| Radio Equipped | Select if the vehicle has a radio installed. |
| Date Received | Enter the date your organization received the vehicle. |
| Assignment Group | Choose the group to which the vehicle is assigned. |
| Chassis | Enter the vehicle’s chassis number or VIN. |
| Vehicle Tag # | Enter the vehicle’s registration or license plate number. |
| Tag Expiration Date | Enter the expiration date for the vehicle’s registration or tag. |
3. Click on the Software tab. Enter or confirm the vehicle’s onboard equipment and software settings.
| Field | What to enter or select |
|---|---|
| MDC ID | Enter the identification number assigned to the vehicle’s mobile data computer (MDC). The MDC ID field accepts numeric values up to a maximum of 9999 only. |
| Farebox ID | Enter the identification number assigned to the vehicle’s farebox. |
| MDC IP | Enter the IP address assigned to the vehicle’s mobile data computer. |
| Fleet Group | Choose the vehicle’s operating group, such as “Fixed Route.” |
| Installed Equip Type | Choose the equipment configuration installed on the vehicle. |
| Equipment Type Description | The Equipment Type Description field allows you to add detailed notes about an equipment type associated with a vehicle. This helps users identify equipment configurations and understand the purpose of an equipment type without relying solely on its abbreviated name. |
| Vehicle Type | Choose the vehicle’s service classification, such as “Fixed-Route.” |
4. Review the information, then select Save.
The vehicle’s Fleet information on the left is for informational purposes only. It can be edited in Fleets.
MDC ID and Farebox ID validation
When saving a vehicle, myAvail checks for duplicate MDC IDs and Farebox IDs based on the vehicle's active or inactive status.
- Active vehicles: An active vehicle cannot have an MDC ID or Farebox ID already assigned to another active vehicle. Inactive vehicles are excluded from this duplicate check.
- Inactive vehicles: Duplicate MDC IDs and Farebox IDs are permitted. This allows retired vehicles to retain their original identifiers when those identifiers have been reassigned to replacement vehicles.
- Reactivating a vehicle: If an inactive vehicle is reactivated, its MDC ID and Farebox ID must not conflict with identifiers assigned to other active vehicles. If a conflict exists, the vehicle cannot be saved until it is resolved.
The existing validation rules for missing MDC IDs and Farebox IDs remain unchanged.
Example
A retired vehicle has MDC ID 1234. A replacement vehicle can use MDC ID 1234 while the original vehicle remains inactive.
However, if you attempt to reactivate the retired vehicle while the replacement vehicle is still active, myAvail prevents the save because two active vehicles cannot share the same MDC ID.