Catching up on what you missed or watching sessions on demand? Check out the dynamic lineup of sessions and discussions from Avail Engage 2026!
Day 1
Adoption Accelerators
Adoption Accelerator sessions are role‑based, hands‑on experiences designed to help agencies strengthen adoption, optimize workflows, and get more value from Avail’s solutions. These sessions bring together practitioners and Avail subject matter experts to share best practices, explore real‑world use cases, and identify practical ways to improve efficiency, compliance, and day‑to‑day operations. With an emphasis on measurable outcomes, peer discussion, and actionable guidance, Adoption Accelerators help teams assess where they are today, understand available tools and metrics, and prioritize next steps to drive consistent, effective system use across their organization. Key focus areas include: Finance, Payroll and HR, Operations & Planning, Transit Asset Maintenance
Product Roundtables
The Product Roundtables are interactive sessions designed to give you a forward-looking view of Avail’s products and where they’re headed. In these discussions, our product team shares insights into new and upcoming development, explains the thinking behind key enhancements, and connects roadmap investments to real-world agency needs. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from Avail product leaders, ask questions, and provide feedback in focused conversations centered on high‑impact areas of the platform. Key product areas include: Operations, Finance, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), and Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse.
Engage Happy Hour
Kickstart your conference experience! Enjoy drinks and appetizers as you connect with with peers, solution partners, and Avail.
Day 2
Welcome to Engage 2026!
In his opening remarks Avail's President & CEO, Rick Spangler, welcomes attendees and details Avail's objectives and key takeaways for the Avail Engage solutions conference.
The Avail Product Keynote 2026
Avail's Director of Products, Ryan Harshbarger, highlights the current and future product innovations driving Avail to revolutionize the adoption of ITS technology by partnering with our customers to achieve success.
Customer Success Story: Two Paths to Success
Explore how Atomic City Transit and MAX Transit transformed their systems to earn national recognition and deliver measurable operational results. This session highlights real-world strategies behind their success—including innovation in service delivery, technology adoption, community partnerships, and performance improvement initiatives. Attendees will gain practical insights into how agencies of any size can elevate service quality, strengthen rider experience, and achieve breakthrough outcomes that lead to industry awards and sustained excellence.
Leveraging Avail's OEM Team
Avail's OEM team is your key partner in planning your fleet replacements with Avail's latest equipment. Come to this session to discuss how to best engage with your dedicated team, learn about what options your agency might want to consider and learn about a unique approach to collaborative procurement here in Pennsylvania.
Facility Tour: The Centre Area Transportation Authority
Step inside one of Central Pennsylvania’s most forward-thinking transit agencies.
Join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA), serving the Centre Region municipalities, Bellefonte, Spring and Benner Townships, and the greater Centre County area, including State College and Penn State University!
CATA operates a robust network of fixed-route, paratransit, and mircrotransit services connecting communities across a dynamic and growing region. As a long-time Avail partner, they continue to lead with a strong focus on data-driven operations and service efficiency.
Get a firsthand look at their facilities, operations, and the strategies driving their success, and walk away with ideas you can bring back to your own agency.
The Next Generation of In Vehicle Technologies
Avail's class leading vehicle solution never stops evolving, come to this session to learn about the latest features coming for your Bus Operators and the product direction as the industry continues to move to an IOT landscape, seamlessly blending Avail's robust in-vehicle integration with the latest in cloud computing.
Day 3
Leaving a Legacy: Building What Lasts Beyond You
As the United States marks its 250th birthday, this session explores a timeless question: How do we build things that outlast us? Whether launching a new initiative, leading a team, or shaping an organization, our work is often bigger than any one person and intended to endure long after we move on. Through a cross-industry panel featuring leaders from public transit and outside industries with high turnover and constant change, this discussion will examine how core principles, values, and processes can be intentionally designed to sustain momentum, preserve purpose, and create lasting impact over time.
Customer Success Story: From Legacy to Leading Edge: Transitioning Fleet-Net Systems to ETMS
Modernizing from legacy Fleet-Net systems to a fully integrated Enterprise Transit Management Software (ETMS) platform represents more than a technology upgrade, it’s a shift in how agencies operate. This session explores the journey from siloed, on-premise ERP tools to a unified, cloud-based ecosystem that connects finance, maintenance, operations, and workforce management in real time. Attendees will learn how agencies have streamlined workflows, improved communication across departments, reduced downtime, and leveraged data-driven insights to enhance performance and service delivery.
myAvail Detour Management 2026
This session tells the real-world story behind myAvail’s Detour Management evolution, highlighting how deep customer collaboration shaped the product from concept to deployment. Learn how agencies like Indigo and Innercity Transit partnered with Avail to redesign detour creation, improve in-vehicle navigation, and simplify dispatcher workflows. Through candid lessons, beta feedback, and live use cases, the session explores why thoughtful design takes time and how customer-driven input leads to smarter, more usable transit technology for everyone.
Fixed Route Operations Statistics
Hear from Avail's product team and professional services engineering on where miles, hours and ridership come from in your system and the best practices you should adopt to ensure accurate reporting. This session will also include a preview of product changes coming that will further streamline reporting.
Facility Tour: Larson Transportation Institute's Bus Research and Testing Center Test Track
Did you know that in 1987 STURAA legislation introduced a requirement for each new bus model to be tested prior to purchase with federal funds? The road test portion of this testing occurs right in Avail's backyard, so join us in a one-of-a-kind tour of the Larson test track. The full-scale Transportation Research Facilities include a 1 mile test track, vehicle durability testing course, and labs for testing emissions and other vehicle specifications. In 2017, it was designated as one of the 10 U.S DOT autonomous vehicle proving grounds in the country. Join us to learn more!
Securing Transit's Future: A Quick Look at NIST IR 8576 and FBI Operation Winter SHIELD
APTA and NIST are developing a first-of-its-kind Cybersecurity Framework Community Profile designed specifically for transit agencies. This session will provide a brief overview of the upcoming framework, followed by a presentation from an FBI Special Agent assigned to the Cyber Division. The agent will cover practical actions to improve cyber resilience, discuss current and emerging threats, and explain how the FBI can support organizations before and during cyber incidents.
Engage Social & Awards
Engage is packed full of information, so it's nice to take a break and relax. The Engage Social is your chance to let loose and just hang out with your peers, Avail, and our partners. There's no agenda - just a lot of delicious food, entertainment, and more!