Audit of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (March 17, 2023)

This is a state performance audit of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, focused on certain activities during 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 Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) for the period October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2021.”

The audit looked at whether PVTA’s ADA-required paratransit rides were on time and whether PVTA handled related complaints properly.

“In this performance audit, we assessed whether PVTA delivered on-time paratransit services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in accordance with its Paratransit Operating Procedures Manual.”

This matters because people with disabilities who cannot use regular fixed-route buses are entitled to comparable transportation service.

“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.”

If you rely on PVTA paratransit, the audit says PVTA met the on-time service and complaint-resolution standards it reviewed.

“Does PVTA deliver the paratransit services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on time in accordance with Section B of the Performance Standards section of PVTA’s Paratransit Operating Procedures Manual?”

The auditor concluded that PVTA met both audit objectives: on-time ADA paratransit service and ADA paratransit complaint resolution.

“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.”

The report does not list corrective actions or recommendations because the audit did not find significant reportable problems.

“Our audit revealed no significant instances of noncompliance that must be reported under generally accepted government auditing standards.”

PVTA is a major regional transit provider outside Greater Boston, and the audit covered services funded by state, local, federal, fare, and other sources.

“State assistance was the largest source, followed by local assistance and federal assistance.”

Paratransit means transportation for people who cannot use regular bus routes; demand response means rides that are requested and scheduled instead of running on fixed routes.

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