Audit of the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (August 30, 2023)

This is a state performance audit of the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority, covering October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2021.

“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 Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) for the period October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2021.”

The audit looked at whether MART provided required ADA paratransit rides on time and whether it handled ADA paratransit complaints properly.

“In this performance audit, we assessed whether MART delivered paratransit services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on time in accordance with Section 37.23(a) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations and its “ADA Paratransit Service Standards.””

People who use ADA paratransit may rely on it for essential transportation, so unreliable drop-offs can seriously affect daily life.

“By not ensuring timely drop-offs to ADA-required paratransit riders, MART risks the reliability of transportation services provided to individuals who rely on ADA-required paratransit services.”

If you or someone you know uses MART’s ADA paratransit service, this audit is about whether rides arrive at destinations on time and whether complaints get handled promptly.

“Each public entity operating a fixed route system shall provide paratransit or other special service to individuals with disabilities that is comparable to the level of service provided to individuals without disabilities who use the fixed route system.”

MART missed its own standard for untimely drop-offs and had gaps in complaint handling.

“Specifically, 1,290 out of 28,482 (4.5%) scheduled trips had untimely drop-offs that were either 30 minutes or more before the scheduled drop-off time or were after the scheduled drop-off time.”

The auditor recommended that MART track trips and complaints more closely, and MART said it would review trip data, keep better records, and upgrade its complaint tracking system.

“MART will monitor customer complaints on a weekly basis to ensure all complaints are being investigated by MART and/or its operating companies within three (3) business days and all required follow up actions and responses to complainants are completed within five (5) business days.”

The problems could mean rider issues are not fixed quickly, or possibly not fixed at all.

“By not ensuring that it follows required procedures for its ADA paratransit complaint process, MART may not resolve significant issues regarding its transportation services in a timely manner or at all.”

Demand-response service means riders ask for and schedule trips, instead of using a bus route with fixed stops and times.

“Demand-response transportation services do not have fixed routes, schedules, or stops.”