Audit of the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority Overview of Audited Entity

This section describes the makeup and responsibilities of the Montachusett 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., selectperson 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, transit 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.

Montachusett Regional Transit Authority

The Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) was established in 1978 and reports to the Rail and Transit Division under Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009. According to its website, “MART’s Mission is to provide safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective transit, Para-transit, and brokerage services to [its] customers contributing to the social well-being and economic vitality of the region and the Commonwealth.”

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

MART, serving a population of over 228,000 within the 624-square-mile Montachusett area, provides transportation services to the following 24 cities and towns: Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Bolton, Boxborough, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon. MART runs a shuttle to veterans’ centers and hospitals located in Boston and Worcester. Additionally, MART operates and maintains four park-and-ride facilities³ along the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Fitchburg Commuter Rail line.

During our audit period, MART contracted with Management of Transportation Services, Inc., a privately operated company, to provide transit management and operations services for its fixed-route bus and demand-response transportation services4 provided to paratransit riders and the older population.

MART managed all ADA-required paratransit and demand-response transportation services provided during the audit period using a transit scheduling and dispatching system.

Performance Standards for ADA-Required Paratransit Services

MART 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.

According to this memorandum of understanding, MART must pick up at least 96% of riders within the scheduled pick-up window, have a missed trip rate of no more than 5%, and have an untimely drop-off rate of no more than 3%.

On-Time Performance

MART uses a 20-minute pickup window for its on-time performance standard. This means that, in order for a pickup to be considered on time, a driver has up to 20 minutes after the scheduled pickup time to reach their rider. Drivers can arrive at any point during the pickup window. Because of this, riders must be ready throughout the entire pickup window. Drivers, depending on their arrival time, will only wait either five minutes beyond the scheduled pickup time or five minutes beyond the time they arrive, whichever is later.

Missed Trips

For MART’s ADA-required paratransit services, a trip is considered missed when any one of the following situations occurs:

• A driver for MART does not pick up a rider.
• A driver arrives for the trip but the rider does not show up;⁵ however, the driver still did not wait the required five minutes.
• A driver arrives too late, after the 20-minute pickup window, and the rider chooses not to take the trip. MART refers to this as a canceled-on-arrival trip.
• A driver arrives too late, after the 20-minute pickup window, and the rider, even though they still choose to take the trip, will not arrive at their destination on time.
• A driver arrives too early, before the beginning of the 20-minute pickup window, and the rider chooses not to take the trip. MART refers to this as a canceled-on-arrival trip.
• Scheduling errors or computer errors lead to a trip not being completed.

Untimely Drop-Offs

MART’s goal is to ensure that it will not drop off riders more than 30 minutes before the scheduled drop-off time and no later than the scheduled drop-off time.

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.

MART’s ADA paratransit complaint process is overseen by its ADA transit manager, who acts as MART’s ADA complaint officer. MART’s administrative front office staff members handle all complaints and enter them into MART’s Microsoft Access database for ADA paratransit complaints. MART’s management encourages complainants to call, but complainants may also complete a complaint form and either email or mail the form to MART’s office. MART’s staff members assign each complaint a confirmation number for tracking purposes. MART’s ADA transit manager has access to the Microsoft Access database for ADA paratransit complaints. The ADA transit manager responds to each complainant with information regarding MART’s investigation and any actions taken. MART staff members monitor the Microsoft Access database for ADA paratransit complaints for resolutions provided by the contracted paratransit provider. MART’s “Montachusett Regional Transit Authority Complaint Procedures” states that its contracted paratransit provider will investigate all complaints within three business days, and that its front office staff members will follow up with the complainant within five business days.

MART Paratransit Ridership Information

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

	Fiscal Year 2019	Fiscal Year 2020	Fiscal Year 2021
Number of Active Riders	560	528	382
Number of Trips	44,912	37,304	23,842
Number of Miles	2,286,687	1,614,621	1,250,401
Number of Drivers	96	92	72
Number of Vehicles Used	129	117	92

MART Funding Sources

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

Type of Funding	Fiscal Year 2019	Fiscal Year 2020	Fiscal Year 2021
State and Contract Assistance	$   5,568,629	$   5,908,180	$   6,064,554
Local Assistance	2,471,550	2,533,339	2,596,672
Federal Assistance	2,680,440	1,675,396	-
Fixed-Route Income	728,269	527,149	431,483
Paratransit Income	85,365	63,305	37,856
Other Revenue*	1,144,360	3,265,582	4,552,399
Total	$ 12,678,613	$ 13,972,951	$ 13,682,964

*  Other revenue is from advertising, miscellaneous sources, 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.   Park-and-ride facilities are parking lots used by commuters to meet and carpool to destinations.

4.   Demand-response transportation services do not have fixed routes, schedules, or stops. They must be requested by riders and scheduled by dispatchers through a transportation service.

5.   According to MART’s ADA Paratransit Service Regulation Handbook, if a rider does “not call and [the rider is] not ready when [MART’s] vehicle arrives,” MART classifies the trip as a no-show.

Date published:	August 30, 2023