Audit of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority

This is a state performance audit of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority for July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.

“In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.”

Auditors looked at whether BRTA kept up with vehicle maintenance, handled vehicles used by staff properly, and submitted financial records for public disclosure.

“We also examined BRTA’s use of its non-revenue-producing vehicles, as well as its compliance with the General Laws regarding providing its financial records to the Secretary of Administration and Finance for public disclosure.”

BRTA provides public transportation in Berkshire County, including service for riders who need flexible or disability-related transportation.

“BRTA operates local fixed-route and demand-response services within the 384-square-mile Berkshire area, serving a population of more than 121,500.”

If you ride BRTA or pay taxes that support it, this audit says the agency passed the checks on maintenance records, public financial reporting, and staff vehicle use.

“Below is a list of our audit objectives, indicating each question we intended our audit to answer and the conclusion we reached regarding each objective.”

For every audit question, the auditor’s conclusion was yes: BRTA met the requirements tested.

“Did BRTA properly manage the use of its non-revenue-producing vehicles?”

The report says auditors discussed the results with BRTA management, and the agency’s comments were included in the report.

“My audit staff discussed the contents of this report with management of the agency, whose comments are reflected in this report.”

This audit is part of oversight of regional transit systems that serve many communities outside the Boston-area MBTA system.

“These RTAs serve a total of 262 cities, suburban municipalities, and rural communities outside the greater Boston area and provide transportation via buses and minibuses operated by private transit service companies.”

Demand-response service means transportation that does not follow one fixed route or schedule and is arranged around riders with special needs.

“Demand-response transportation services are those that run on a flexible schedule and on flexible routes based on the needs of RTA passengers with special needs.”