Skip to main content
Audit

Audit  Audit of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority

Our office conducted a performance audit of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) for the period January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022.

Organization: Office of the State Auditor
Date published: October 4, 2024

Executive Summary

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 January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022.

In this performance audit, we assessed whether BRTA 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; Sections 5.3, 5.4, and 5.6 of Chapter 8 of the Federal Transit Administration’s Circular 4710.1; and BRTA’s “ADA Policies and Procedures.” We also examined BRTA’s ADA paratransit complaint resolution procedures to determine whether BRTA investigated and responded to ADA paratransit complaints in accordance with Section 27.13(b) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations and BRTA’s “ADA Policy Manual.”

Below is a summary of our findings, the effects of those findings, and our recommendations, with links to each page listed.

  
Finding 1
 		BRTA did not accurately calculate its paratransit service performance metrics and did not meet the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT’s) performance targets.
EffectIf BRTA does not accurately calculate its performance metrics, then it cannot identify how well its ADA-required paratransit service is performing. Late ADA-required paratransit services, whether for pickups or drop-offs, may have a negative impact on those relying on these paratransit services.
Recommendations
 
  1. BRTA should separately calculate its ADA-required paratransit service on-time pickup and drop-off performance metrics.  
  2. BRTA should ensure that its scheduling and dispatching system is updated to accurately calculate its current performance metrics.
  3. BRTA should establish adequate policies and procedures, including a monitoring component, to ensure that it accurately calculates and updates performance metrics within its scheduling and dispatching system when necessary.
  4. BRTA should establish adequate policies and procedures, including a monitoring component, to ensure that it meets the performance targets it agreed to with MassDOT.
Finding 2
 		BRTA did not follow required procedures, or have a segregation of duties, for processing ADA paratransit complaints.
EffectBy not ensuring that it follows required procedures for its ADA paratransit complaint process, BRTA may not resolve significant issues regarding its transportation services in a timely manner or at all. This could have a negative impact on the quality of services that BRTA provides to its ADA-required paratransit riders. If BRTA allows its contracted paratransit provider to receive, investigate, and validate ADA paratransit complaints, which could potentially be about or against the provider, then BRTA cannot ensure that it is aware of all complaints and that there are no conflicts of interest.
Recommendations
 
  1.  BRTA should maintain a log of all complaints, investigation dates, and actions taken to resolve the complaints.
  2. BRTA should segregate duties related to ADA paratransit complaint processing, such as receiving, investigating, and validating complaints.
  3. BRTA should establish monitoring controls to ensure that its employees and its contracted paratransit provider follow its ADA paratransit complaint policies and procedures.


 

Table of Contents

Downloads

Contact

Phone

Main (617) 727-2075

Online

Auditor@MassAuditor.gov

Fax

(617) 727-3014

Address

Massachusetts State House
Room 230
Boston, MA 02133
Directions 

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback