Audit of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority Overview of Audited Entity

This section describes the makeup and responsibilities of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority.

Massachusetts Regional Transit Authorities

Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws established regional transit authorities (RTAs) and defined the roles and responsibilities for these authorities, the municipalities in which they operate, and the Commonwealth. According to Chapter 161B of the General Laws, RTAs are controlled by the municipalities in which they operate. Each RTA is governed by an advisory board composed of elected officials from the community (e.g., city manager or mayor), as well as one representative of the disabled commuter population¹ and one representative of the local rider community. The advisory boards appoint administrators, establish bylaws, and approve budgets and changes to RTA services.

Section 53 of Chapter 6C of the General Laws makes the Rail and Transit Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation “responsible for overseeing, coordinating and planning all transit and rail matters throughout the commonwealth,” including intercity buses, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and RTAs.

 

Source: Massachusetts Department of Transportation—Rail and Transit Division (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/public-transportation-in-massachusetts)

Currently, there is a network of 15 RTAs operating in the Commonwealth, in addition to the transit services provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. These RTAs serve a total of 272 cities and towns outside the greater Boston area. RTAs are funded through a combination of state appropriations, federal grants, local governments, fares, and other sources. State appropriations for the 15 RTAs increased from approximately $80 million in fiscal year 2018 to approximately $94 million in fiscal years 2021 and 2022.

Americans with Disabilities Act–Required Paratransit Services

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 recognized that some individuals’ disabilities prevent them from using a fixed-route² transit system. Section 37(F) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which covers the transportation and related stipulations of ADA, states,

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.

The above regulation also establishes minimum levels of service that RTAs must provide for complementary paratransit services.

MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) was established in 2006 and reports to the Rail and Transit Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation under Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009. According to MWRTA’s website, its mission is to “build a public transportation system to deliver convenient and dependable service that enhances mobility, environmental quality and economic vitality in the region.”

MWRTA’s operations are overseen by an advisory board. MWRTA’s administrator, hired by the advisory board, is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the agency.

MWRTA provides transportation services to the following 16 cities and towns: Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston.

During our audit period, MWRTA contracted with Kiessling Transit, Inc., a privately operated company, to provide transit management and operations services for its fixed-route bus services, as well as for the demand-response transportation services³ that MWRTA provided to ADA-required paratransit riders. MWRTA oversaw its contracted paratransit provider and managed the eligibility of its ADA-required paratransit and on-demand ridership at its administrative offices. The contracted paratransit provider managed services for all ADA-required paratransit and demand-response trips provided during the audit period using a transit scheduling and dispatching system.

On-Time Performance for ADA-Required Paratransit Services

MWRTA has a memorandum of understanding with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that includes on-time performance standards. These performance standards include a required minimum on-time pickup rate for trips.

While the Federal Transit Administration suggests that pickup windows should not exceed 30 minutes, MWRTA uses a 15-minute pickup window for its on-time performance standard, in order to help minimize the amount of time a rider is expected to be ready and waiting for the driver to arrive. A 15-minute pickup window means that, in order for a pickup to be considered on time, a driver has up to 15 minutes after a scheduled pickup time to reach their rider.

ADA Paratransit Complaints

ADA paratransit complaints are complaints related to ADA-required paratransit services. According to Section 27.13 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, transportation programs that receive federal funding must adopt complaint procedures and designate a responsible employee to coordinate these procedures.

MWRTA’s call center receives ADA paratransit complaints from riders by email, mail, or phone calls. MWRTA call center employees record these complaints in the transit scheduling and dispatching system, investigate them, and respond to the complainants within 10 business days.

MWRTA Paratransit Ridership Information

The table below summarizes MWRTA’s paratransit information for fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021.

	Fiscal Year 2019	Fiscal Year 2020	Fiscal Year 2021
Number of Active Riders	1,633	1,475	982
Number of Trips	99,912	76,701	51,325
Number of Drivers	59	44	41
Number of Vehicles Used	47	54	45

MWRTA Funding Sources

In fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021, MWRTA received revenue from a variety of sources, including fares and federal, state, and local assistance. The table below shows the types of funding MWRTA received during the audit period.

Type of Funding	Fiscal Year 2019	Fiscal Year 2020	Fiscal Year 2021
State and Contract Assistance	$      2,715,598	$      3,206,558	$      3,515,286
Local Assistance	4,078,597	3,876,600	3,035,621
Federal Assistance	1,790,366	1,824,016	2,622,499
Fixed Route Income	607,985	479,129	20,701
Paratransit Income	237,134	175,754	4,226
Other Revenue*	926,388	858,708	682,073
Total	$    10,356,068	$    10,420,765	$      9,880,406

*  Other revenue is from advertising, insurance claims, and interest.

1.    According to Section 5 of Chapter 161B of the General Laws, “This representative shall be mobility impaired, have a family member who is mobility impaired, be a caretaker of a person who is mobility impaired or work for an organization that serves the needs of the physically disabled.”

2.    Fixed-route transportation services have established routes, schedules, and stops.

3.    Demand-response transportation services are non-fixed-route services that must be requested by riders and scheduled by dispatchers through a transportation service.

 

Date published:	August 29, 2023