Audit of the Merrimack Valley Transit (May 5, 2026)
May 5, 2026 · Merrimack Valley Transit · Read the full official report on mass.gov ↗
Published May 5, 2026 Audit covers July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024 Under Diana DiZoglio · 2023–present
source
“MeVa did not ensure that employees of its contracted operating companies completed required newly hired employee safety training or de-escalation training.”
Read the plain-English breakdown
This is a state performance audit of Merrimack Valley Transit, covering selected activities from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.
“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 Merrimack Valley Transit (MeVa) for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.”
Auditors checked whether MeVa made sure contractor employees got required safety training and whether MeVa fixed earlier problems with ADA paratransit complaints.
“The purpose of our audit was to determine the following:”
If workers are not fully trained, riders, the public, and workers may face avoidable safety risks.
“A lack of training could jeopardize the safety of riders and the general public.”
If you ride MeVa, especially paratransit, this audit is about whether the system is training workers and responding to complaints in ways that protect service quality and safety.
“This could have a negative impact on the quality of services that MeVa provides to its ADA-required paratransit riders.”
The auditor found two main unresolved problems: missing proof of required safety trainings and continued problems processing ADA paratransit complaints.
“MeVa did not resolve previously identified issues regarding processing ADA paratransit complaints.”
The Auditor’s Office plans to check back in about six months to see whether MeVa has fixed the issues.
“As part of our post-audit review process, we will follow up on this matter in approximately six months.”
The findings point to broader management problems: MeVa needs stronger monitoring, records, and controls so safety training, complaints, and system access are handled consistently.
“In addition to the conclusions we reached regarding our audit objectives, we also identified issues not specifically addressed by our objectives regarding the recording and monitoring of customer complaints and the development of policies or procedures to oversee the creation and maintenance of information system user accounts.”
Paratransit means a requested, scheduled ride service instead of a regular bus route, often important for riders whose disabilities prevent them from using fixed-route service.
“Demand-response transportation services are non-fixed-route transportation services that must be requested by riders and scheduled by dispatchers through a transportation service.”
1 figure(s) pending source verification - not shown
What the Auditor checked
- Did not comply Did MeVa ensure that employees of its contracted operating companies received required safety trainings in accordance with Section 673.29(a)(1) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), MeVa’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, and the “Progressive Discipline Policy” for each of MeVa’s contracted operating companies?
- Did not comply Did MeVa take corrective action to address the issue identified in our prior audit (Audit No. 2022-0496-3A) regarding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit complaints?
What the Auditor found
Why it matters: A lack of required training could jeopardize rider and public safety and leave contracted employees unprepared to perform safety-sensitive duties.
Standard: Section 673.29(a)(1) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations; MeVa’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan; MVATC and STS Progressive Discipline Policies. ( Section 673.29(a)(1) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations; MeVa’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan; Merrimack Valley Area Transportation Company’s “Progressive Discipline Policy”; Special Transportation Services’ “Progressive Discipline Policy” )
2 recommendations
- MeVa should develop, document, and implement sufficient policies and procedures, including a monitoring component, to ensure that employees of its contracted operating companies complete required safety trainings. This should include newly hired employee safety training, quarterly refresher trainings, de-escalation training, and any required retraining resulting from documented preventable accidents.agency: already implemented
- MeVa should ensure that it retains records of training assignments and completions for all employees of its contracted operating companies.agency: already implemented
Agency response & Auditor reply
Agency: "MeVa has put the training monitoring activities into a policy to document actions that have been implemented since [fiscal year 2025]."
Auditor: "However, without proper documentation, we cannot confirm that the required training took place during the audit period."
Why it matters: Unresolved complaint-processing weaknesses may prevent significant ADA paratransit service issues from being resolved timely or at all.
Standard: 49 CFR 27.13(b)(3) and MeVa’s MVATC/STS Customer Complaint Procedures. ( 49 CFR 27.13(b)(3); MeVa’s “MVATC/STS Customer Complaint Procedures” )
1 recommendation
- MeVa should implement monitoring controls to ensure that its contracted operating companies acknowledge ADA paratransit complaints within 24 hours, resolve complaints, and consistently document any follow-up actions and outcomes.
Agency response & Auditor reply
Agency: "This audit did show that some of the steps in regards to completing documentation were still not fully implemented and new stricter policies are being implemented now."
Auditor: "While we recognize progress being made, the continued occurrence of the same issues over multiple audit cycles indicates that the underlying issues have not yet been fully addressed."
Why it matters: Incomplete complaint documentation reduces MeVa’s ability to track and evaluate complaint outcomes and increases the risk that complaints may not be addressed timely or appropriately.
Standard: MeVa’s MVATC/STS Customer Complaint Procedures. ( MeVa’s “MVATC/STS Customer Complaint Procedures” )
6 recommendations
- MeVa should update its complaint management policies and procedures to clearly define documentation requirements, segregation of duties, and reviewers’ responsibilities.
- MeVa should ensure that it only uses the most current version of the Incident/Complaint form.
- MeVa should implement a quality control process to verify that each Incident/Complaint form is complete, such as ensuring that each form includes the reviewer’s initials and the date of the outcome determination.
- MeVa should ensure that responsible employees complete monthly complaint logs.
- MeVa should provide training to its employees and contractors when procedures and documentation standards are updated.
- MeVa should establish periodic monitoring of its complaint intake process to ensure continued compliance with complaint documentation requirements.
Prior findings revisited
"This issue was also identified during our previous audit (Audit No. 2022-0496-3A) and has not been resolved."