AmTran

What AmTran does

AMTRAN (Altoona Metro Transit) is a public transportation authority serving Blair County, Pennsylvania, created on May 27, 1958 by the City of Altoona and Logan Township as the first such authority in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The authority provides fixed-route bus service (13 routes operating Monday–Saturday), 8 tripper routes for schools and colleges, and ADA-mandated paratransit service coordinated through Blair Senior Services. AMTRAN serves approximately 444,716 annual riders (FY2023) across a 25-square-mile service area with a population of ~69,500, with primary customer segments being working adults, seniors, people with disabilities, and Penn State Altoona students.

The technology backbone is the Smart Bus platform, developed with Avail Technologies of State College, which includes GPS tracking on every bus, the myStop real-time departure information system (delivered via smartphone app, phone, SMS, QR codes, and a web portal), automatic passenger counting on all vehicles, and automated ADA-compliant onboard bus stop announcements. A proximity smart card fare collection system called myFare was beta-tested in 2012, and trip planning is integrated with Google Maps/Google Transit. The fleet consists of 27 vehicles: 23 Gillig low-floor CNG buses (16 from 2018, 7 from 2021), 3 diesel-electric hybrid Gillig buses (2012), and 1 Ford Transit Van (2021).

AMTRAN's revenue model is a hybrid of public transit fare revenue (covering less than 30% of operating expenses per one-way adult fare of $1.75) and government funding (FTA grants, PennDOT state subsidies, and contributions from Altoona, Logan Township, Hollidaysburg, and Blair County). The authority also generates supplementary real estate income through the Trolleyworks Business Park, a renovated office/flex space complex at 3316 Fifth Avenue with three leased suites, operating under the FTA Joint Development Program. Operating budget for the year ending June 30, 2023 was $5,934,451 with a workforce of 49 employees.

Name

AmTran

Legal name

Altoona Metro Transit (AMTRAN)

Website

https://amtran.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AMTRAN (Altoona Metro Transit) is a public transportation authority serving Blair County, Pennsylvania, operating 13 fixed bus routes, 8 tripper routes, and ADA paratransit service for approximately 500,000 annual riders, including Penn State Altoona students, working adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transit Services

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Special Needs Transportation (485991)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal/Transit-Agency Microtransit (First/Last-Mile Feeders) (TLAFAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

ADA/Accessible Paratransit (Complementary to Fixed-Route Transit) (THAIAHAA)

Keywords

• Public transit services
• Fixed route bus service
• ADA paratransit service
• Smart bus technology
• Fare collection systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Conway

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Transit Fare Revenue: AMTRAN generates fare revenue from passengers using fixed-route bus services and ADA paratransit services. Less than 30% of operating expenses are covered through farebox revenue.
2. Federal and State Government Funding: Primary funding from Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants, PennDOT state funding, and local government contributions from Altoona, Logan Township, Hollidaysburg, and Blair County.
3. Real Estate Lease Revenue: Trolleyworks Business Park generates rental income from tenant suites leased to Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate - GSA Realty and Revival Fitness, with revenue available for transit operating expenses under FTA Joint Development Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AMTRAN (Altoona Metro Transit) is a public transportation authority operating 13 fixed bus routes, 8 tripper routes, and ADA paratransit services across Blair County, Pennsylvania. The organization runs a Smart Bus technology platform encompassing GPS-based real-time arrival information (myStop) and proximity smart card fare collection (myFare), and additionally leases commercial office space at the Trolleyworks Business Park.

Product overview

AMTRAN (Altoona Metro Transit) is a public transportation authority serving Blair County, Pennsylvania. Its core product is fixed-route bus service (13 regular routes plus 8 tripper routes) and ADA paratransit service, supported by a proprietary technology platform called the Smart Bus Technology. The Smart Bus platform comprises myStop (real-time departure information delivered via smartphone app, phone, SMS, QR codes, and online portal) and myFare (proximity smart card fare collection system developed with Avail Technologies), both built on GPS-based tracking and automated ADA-compliant announcement systems. Beyond transit, AMTRAN operates the Trolleyworks Business Park — a commercial office/flex real estate venture in renovated trolley barns. The fleet consists of 27 vehicles split between CNG and diesel-electric hybrid models, serving a 25-square-mile service area with 69,500 population.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• myStop: Real-time bus departure information system providing trip planning through Google and GPS-based tracking via smartphone app, phone, text, and QR code.
• Trolleyworks Business Park
• Faces of Amtran
• Amtran HelpLine

Products and services

• Fixed Route Bus Service Fixed route public bus service operating 13 routes six days a week (Monday-Saturday) covering Blair County municipalities of Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Logan, and Allegheny. Carries approximately 444,716 riders annually. Fares are $1.75 one-way for adults with exact fare required.
• Tripper Route Service
• ADA Paratransit Service
• myStop Real-Time Bus Information Real-time bus departure information system providing live arrival predictions for any AMTRAN bus stop. Delivers information via smartphone app (iOS/Android), phone (944-1200), SMS text messaging, QR codes at bus stops, and online portal. Same app works for CATA buses in State College.
• myFare Smart Card Fare Collection Proximity smart card fare collection system allowing tap-to-pay on bus readers, on-bus card reloading, and card cancellation if lost or stolen. Developed with Avail Technologies of State College.
• Trolleyworks Business Park Class 1 commercial office/flex space complex at 3316 Fifth Avenue, Altoona, PA, renovated from two former trolley barns into three first-class office/flex suites totaling 7,550 sq ft. Tenants include Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate - GSA Realty (Suite 200) and Revival Fitness (Suite 300). Leases at $8.00/sq ft annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000 annual passenger trips
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TrilliumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2018Private sector firm in PennDOT's statewide CNG Public-Private Partnership (P3). Trillium designed, built, financed, operates, and maintains CNG fueling stations at 29 transit agency sites through a 20-year P3 agreement. At AMTRAN, Trillium built the CNG fueling station along with garage modifications.
• Avail TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 2 April 2012Partnership with Avail Technologies of State College to develop myFare smart card fare collection system. AMTRAN served as beta test site for this innovative transit fare technology. Same partner also developed the myStop real-time bus departure system as part of Smart Bus Project.
• The EADS GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal engineering firm working with AMTRAN and Trillium on CNG infrastructure project at the Altoona facility.
• Blair Senior ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization providing ADA paratransit service coordination on behalf of AMTRAN. AMTRAN provides Saturday paratransit service through Blair Senior Services for customers with disabilities who cannot use regular bus service.
• Penn State AltoonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor institutional partner with dedicated bus service connecting downtown and Ivyside campuses. Chancellor has publicly recognized AMTRAN as essential partner for serving students. Students represent a primary customer segment using bus service to avoid car ownership costs.
• Gillig CorporationminorOthersAmerican bus manufacturer in Hayward, California producing Gillig low-floor CNG and diesel-electric hybrid buses. AMTRAN fleet includes 2021 and 2018 Gillig CNG buses and 2012 Gillig hybrids.
• Clear View StrategiesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject management provided by Clear View Strategies of Pittsburgh for Smart Bus Project implementation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cambria County Transit Authority (CamTran): Adjacent Johnstown, PA fixed-route and paratransit bus operator serving a similar small-city Pennsylvania market. Directly comparable as a peer municipal transit authority with a CNG/hybrid fleet and FTA-funded operations.
• County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS): Scranton-area PA fixed-route and ADA paratransit operator. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid Pennsylvania municipal transit authority reliant on FTA and state funding with paratransit obligations.
• Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo): Mid-sized US city fixed-route bus transit operator with BRT and ADA paratransit. Comparable as a municipal fixed-route bus authority with technology-enabled fare collection and active fleet modernization.
• Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA): Allentown/Bethlehem PA metro fixed-route and paratransit bus operator. Comparable mid-sized Pennsylvania transit authority offering fixed-route, tripper, and ADA paratransit services under a similar funding model.
• Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA): Mid-sized city fixed-route bus, trolley, and ADA paratransit operator. Comparable as a municipal transit authority combining fixed-route bus with ADA paratransit, with active technology investment in real-time tracking.
• Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA): State College, PA fixed-route bus operator that shares the Avail Technologies myStop platform with AMTRAN (the same myStop app serves both agencies). Comparable mid-sized PA municipal transit authority with university-driven ridership similar to Penn State Altoona.
• Rabbittransit (Central PA Transit Authority): York and Adams County, PA fixed-route, paratransit, and microtransit operator under the York County Transportation Authority. Comparable as a multi-county PA transit agency with both fixed-route and ADA complementary paratransit.

Broad incumbents

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA): DC-area multi-modal transit authority (Metrorail, Metrobus, paratransit). Comparable broadly as a federally-funded public transit agency with ADA paratransit obligations and real-time arrival technology, though at much larger scale.
• Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA): Dominant Philadelphia-region multi-modal transit agency (bus, trolley, subway, regional rail). Comparable as a PA public transit authority under FTA and PennDOT oversight, but substantially larger and more diversified than AMTRAN.

Others

• Gillig LLC: Hayward, CA bus manufacturer that supplies AMTRAN's Gillig CNG and diesel-electric hybrid fleet. Adjacent ecosystem participant as primary vehicle vendor rather than a transit competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AmtranAltoona
• Facebookfacebook.com/amtranaltoonapa
• Xx.com/amtranaltoonapa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amtran

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AmTran