Butler Transit Authority not only wants to ferry customers to Pittsburgh by mid-2018, it wants commuters to be able to hop on a Port Authority bus without having to get a second transit pass.

Alongside work to develop its Pittsburgh route, the authority’s long-term plans include increasing the availability and acceptance of transit passes by integrating its system with other regional authorities.

Executive director John Paul said the Butler authority plans to make upgrades to its website in the future to allow people to purchase and refill transit passes online. That comes alongside an effort to regionalize the passes and use the same connect card as Port Authority of Allegheny County, Paul said — though he added there’s not yet a clear timetable for that move. The county authority is ready to move forward and integrate the passes, Paul said, but is currently waiting on other authorities in the region to complete work on their own ends.

The hope, Paul said, is that integrating the transit passes and making them useful in places like Pittsburgh and Westmoreland County will increase commuter support for the Authority’s forthcoming service to Pittsburgh.

Those plans were initially outlined in December, and the authority has since ordered five coach-style, gas-powered buses at a cost of more than $3.6 million. The vehicles will be paid for mostly using federal and state grants, though the authority will contribute $23,471 to the purchase according to a capital budget the group approved on Tuesday.

The authority’s capital budget includes five projects totaling more than $11 million. In addition to the new coach bus purchases, the authority’s budget includes a $1.56 million project that would replace its current fleet with natural gas-powered vehicles, a $2.8 million project to construct a new park-and-ride lot in Butler, a $3.75 million project to construct new park-and-ride lots along the Route 68 corridor, and a $21,800 project that would refurbish the authority’s trolley-style buses, which Paul said would be kept in working order for emergencies, holidays and special occasions.

How quickly all of those projects progress, however, depends on state transportation officials.

The authority’s approval of the budget gives Paul the authorization to send the document to PennDOT officials, who will decide which projects will receive state funding this year. The projects are mostly funded with federal money, according to the authority’s capital budget, but the state is contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to each project.