Audit of the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority

This is a state performance audit of the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, covering July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.

“This report details the audit objectives, scope, methodology, findings, and recommendations for the audit period, July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.”

The State Auditor reviewed GATRA because Massachusetts law allows the Auditor to examine public agencies and how they manage certain responsibilities.

“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 certain activities of the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.”

Public agencies spend public money, so residents should be able to see required financial information and have confidence that agency vehicles are used properly.

“Therefore, GATRA did not allow the Commonwealth to give the public a sufficient level of transparency regarding GATRA’s operations, including its overall financial health and the nature and extent of its expenses.”

If you live in or near GATRA’s service area, this matters because GATRA provides public transportation, including services for seniors and people with disabilities.

“To assist elderly and disabled residents in the community, GATRA provides Dial-a-Ride7 service and arranges transportation with subcontracted transportation providers.”

The audit’s main problems were about transparency and recordkeeping, not a finding that passenger vehicle maintenance was behind schedule.

“Did GATRA maintain a cost maintenance log for each vehicle to ensure that preventive maintenance for vehicles and equipment for transporting passengers with disabilities under the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was up to date per Federal Transit Administration (FTA) guidelines?”

GATRA said it would work on submitting data properly and improve its policies for tracking non-revenue vehicles.

“GATRA will revise its policy and procedures for the oversight and use of its non-revenue vehicles to incorporate best practices from other RTAs and MassDOT.”

The findings point to weak administrative controls: missing public financial reporting and incomplete tracking of staff vehicle use could reduce accountability.

“As a result of the lack of monitoring of use, there is a higher-than-acceptable risk that these vehicles may be used for non-business purposes without detection.”

A “non-revenue-producing vehicle” means an agency vehicle used by staff for work, not a bus or van carrying paying riders.

“Non-revenue-producing vehicles are light-duty vehicles for temporary use by GATRA employees for agency-related business.”