| Organization: | Office of the State Auditor |
|---|---|
| Date published: | December 24, 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 Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) for the period July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.
The purpose of our audit was to determine whether GATRA did the following:
- complied with Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the “Commonwealth of Massachusetts Agreement between Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Greater Attleboro–Taunton Regional Transit Authority” for acquiring battery electric buses (BEBs) and charging stations;
- complied with Chapter 2 of the GILLIG Service Manual and perform preventative maintenance on BEBs on the required items based on the preventative maintenance schedule;
- updated its safety and risk management processes to identify and mitigate safety hazards to address potential electrical fires in accordance with Section 673.25 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations;
- complied with Section 6 of the “Commonwealth of Massachusetts Agreement between Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Greater Attleboro–Taunton Regional Transit Authority” for training on the operation and maintenance of BEBs and charging stations; and
- collected BEB performance and operation data in its BEB Annual Report to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in accordance with Section 8 of the “Commonwealth of Massachusetts Agreement between Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Greater Attleboro–Taunton Regional Transit Authority.”
Below is a summary of our findings, the effects of those findings, and our recommendations, with links to each page listed.
| Finding 1 | GATRA did not ensure that contracted maintenance employees completed GILLIG’s training before performing maintenance services on battery electric buses. |
| Effect | If GATRA does not ensure that maintenance employees complete proper training on BEB maintenance, then there is a higher-than-acceptable risk that they may not detect initial warning signs of electrical and other hazards, leading to vehicle damage and potential injury to employees and riders. Maintenance employees who have not been provided sufficient training may also experience higher risks of injury when they maintain this equipment. Maintenance work could inadvertently damage BEBs if they have not been appropriately trained. |
| Recommendations |
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| Finding 2 | GATRA did not ensure that its contracted transit provider performed and documented preventative maintenance services on its BEBs. |
| Effect | Without a BEB maintenance checklist that distinguishes each specific component of a BEB, GATRA cannot ensure that the high-voltage components of all its BEBs receive preventative maintenance. If GATRA does not perform these inspections, then there is potential for damage to the BEBs’ electrical components, which could result in serious injury or death to anyone in contact with the BEB and may result in avoidable damage to or loss of vehicles. |
| Recommendations |
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| Finding 3 | GATRA did not ensure that its contracted transit provider reconciled the collected farebox cash revenue to the transit fare collection system. |
| Effect | If GATRA does not ensure that its contracted transit provider reconciles farebox revenue, then there is a higher-than-acceptable risk that the provider may underreport the farebox revenue and misappropriate the cash revenue that was not captured in the transit fare collection system. |
| Recommendations |
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In addition to the conclusions we reached regarding our audit objectives, we also identified issues not specifically addressed by our objectives. For more information, see Other Matters.
Table of Contents
Appendix
Downloads
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Open PDF file, 1.14 MB, Audit Report - Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (English, PDF 1.14 MB)