Audit of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority Overview of Audited Entity

This section describes the makeup and responsibilities of the Worcester 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 in 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, 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-route transit system.² 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.

Worcester Regional Transit Authority

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) was established in 1974 under Chapter 161B of the General Laws. WRTA reports to the Rail and Transit Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation under Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009.

According to WRTA’s website, its mission is “to provide convenient, comfortable, safe, reliable, cost-effective mobility services contributing to the economic vitality of the region.”

WRTA’s operations are overseen by an advisory board made up of one member from each of the 37 cities and towns³ that the agency serves. WRTA’s administrator, hired by the advisory board, is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the agency.

WRTA provides local fixed-route and demand-response transportation services⁴ within the Worcester area, serves a population of approximately 545,000 people, and operates a network of 29 local transit routes. The local fixed-route service operates seven days a week. Weekday service runs from as early as 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Saturday service runs from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday service runs from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Buses provide fixed-route transit services for the majority of WRTA passengers, while passenger vans provide paratransit services.

During the audit period, WRTA’s contract with First Transit, a privately operated company, stated that First Transit would “manage and operate a mass public transportation service and a paratransit transportation service for WRTA.” To perform these tasks, First Transit established two subsidiaries: Central Mass Transit Management and Paratransit Brokerage Services, Transit Management, Inc. (PBSTM). Central Mass Transit Management provided the personnel required to operate the public transportation system. PBSTM provided management and administration of ADA-required paratransit services.

During the audit period, besides PBSTM, WRTA also contracted with Worcester Yellow Cab and four local Councils on Aging⁵ (Auburn, Leicester, Northborough, and Oxford) within WRTA’s service area to provide ADA‑required paratransit services for individuals with disabilities. WRTA managed all ADA-required paratransit services provided during the audit period using a transit scheduling and dispatching system.

On-Time Performance for ADA-Required Paratransit Services

Riders may request one of three types of trips: General Pickup (e.g., to go to the grocery store), Appointment (e.g., to attend a scheduled doctor’s visit), or Pick Up No Earlier Than. WRTA uses a 20-minute on-time pickup window, which varies by type of trip, to determine on-time performance. For General Pickup and Appointment trips, a rider must be ready 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after the scheduled pickup time. For a Pick Up No Earlier Than trip, riders can wait up to 20 minutes after the scheduled pickup time before the trip is considered late.

WRTA 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.

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. According to WRTA’s website, “WRTA Staff will process all complaints and provide [customers] with a complaint tracking number. All complaints will be investigated within 3-5 business days, with customer follow-up within 7-10 days.”

WRTA Paratransit Ridership Information

The table below summarizes WRTA’s paratransit information for the audit period.

Number of Active Riders	1,309
Number of Trips	106,011
Number of Drivers	77
Number of Vehicles Used	44

WRTA Funding Sources

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

Type of Funding	Fiscal Year 2020	Fiscal Year 2021
Federal Assistance	$   6,603,105	$   7,880,128
State Assistance	12,371,579	13,088,115
Local Assistance	5,157,143	5,499,744
Interest Income	5,439	613
Fixed-Route and Paratransit Income	2,406,123	187,363
Total	$ 26,543,389	$ 26,655,963

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.    The cities and towns are Auburn, Barre, Berlin, Boylston, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton, Clinton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Grafton, Holden, Holland, Leicester, Millbury, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northborough, Northbridge, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Wales, Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westborough, and Worcester.

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

5.    Councils on Aging provide services (e.g., transportation and meals) and social activities to people over 60 in a city or town.

Date published:	August 24, 2023