Overview of the Brockton Area Transit Authority

This section describes the makeup and responsibilities of the Brockton Area Transit Authority

Regional Transit Authorities

Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws established regional transit authorities (RTAs) to provide a public transportation system under the control of municipalities. Each RTA supports a number of communities (member communities) and is governed by an advisory board composed of the chief elected officials from those communities. Chapter 161B of the General Laws gives the Commonwealth certain oversight responsibilities, and it defines the process by which RTAs may be formed or expanded within the Commonwealth, as well as the duties, powers, and limitations of these RTAs. This law also outlines the membership of RTA advisory boards and their authority to appoint administrators, approve budgets, and approve significant changes in service fares. Currently, there is a network of 15 RTAs (12 urban and 3 rural) operating in the Commonwealth, in addition to the transit services provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). These RTAs serve a total of 262 cities, suburban municipalities, and rural communities outside the greater Boston area and provide transportation via buses and minibuses operated by private transit service companies. RTAs, which are locally controlled, manage their own operations but must hire private operating companies to provide their services in accordance with Chapter 161B of the General Laws.

Section 53 of Chapter 6C of the General Laws makes the Rail and Transit Division (RTD) of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation “responsible for overseeing, coordinating and planning all transit and rail matters throughout the commonwealth,” including intercity buses, the MBTA, and RTAs. RTD carries out its responsibility of providing and managing financial assistance for RTAs through its Community Transit Program Unit, which oversees the federal, state, and local programs that financially support RTAs. State appropriations for the 15 RTAs increased from approximately $70 million in fiscal year 2014 to approximately $80 million in fiscal years 2016 through 2018.

The Brockton Area Transit Authority

The Brockton Area Transit Authority (BAT) was established in 1974 and reports to RTD under Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009, “An Act Modernizing the Transportation Systems of the Commonwealth.” According to BAT’s website, its mission is as follows:

To proudly serve and be recognized as an innovative regional transit authority by providing safe, reliable and efficient service to our customers, clients and communities while achieving maximum effectiveness in complementing other forms of transportation in order to promote the general, economic, and social well-being of the area and the Commonwealth.

An administrator is responsible for day-to-day administration of the agency, which had eight full-time and five part-time staff members during our audit period. BAT’s operations are overseen by an advisory board made up of one member from each of the 11 communities¹ the agency serves. The advisory board is responsible for hiring an administrator, setting fares, establishing service levels, and authorizing real-estate purchases. BAT contracted with East Coast Transit Services Inc. and NorthEast Transit Services Inc. to provide fixed-route and demand-response² transportation services, including maintenance and administrative functions, for fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

During our audit period, BAT’s capital fund expenditures were $2,084,308 for fiscal year 2016 and $6,272,032 for fiscal year 2017. The table below shows the types of capital fund expenditures made by BAT.

BAT Capital Fund Expenditures

Type of Expenditure	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Building Improvements	$18,817	$693,699
Buses, Fare Boxes, and Support Vehicles	1,702,424	5,231,503
Miscellaneous Equipment	363,067	346,830
Total	$2,084,308	$6,272,032

 

In fiscal years 2016 and 2017, BAT received revenue from a variety of sources, including fares from riders and assistance from various federal, state, and local sources. The largest source of funding was state contract assistance,³ followed by fare revenue, local assessment⁴ payments, and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants. The table below shows the types of funding BAT received during the audit period.

BAT Operating Funding Sources

Type of Funding	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
State Contract Assistance	$6,983,107	$6,983,107
Fare Revenue	3,809,716	3,644,547
Local Assessments	2,784,505	2,854,118
Federal Grants	1,585,886	1,397,184
Other Funds*	297,058	282,337
Total	$15,460,272	$15,161,293

*    Other funds include parking fees, advertising revenue, and reimbursements.

 

During our audit period, BAT’s operating costs were as follows.

BAT Operating Expenses

Type of Expense	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Transit Services	$10,046,671	$10,219,899
Maintenance	2,624,403	2,313,690
Insurance	880,344	900,677
Management Services	731,638	745,424
Other Operating Expenses*	1,123,191	872,752
Total	$15,406,249†	$15,052,442

*    Other operating expenses include marketing and administrative costs.
†    Discrepancy in total is due to rounding.

Vehicle Fleet and Service Route Area

BAT operates local fixed-route and demand-response services within the 86-square-mile Brockton area, serving a population of more than 284,000. It operates a network of 14 local transit routes (1 of which is specifically for commuters) and 1 supplemental school route. The local fixed-route service operates seven days a week; weekday service runs from as early as 4:50 a.m. to 12:25 a.m. the next day, Saturday service runs from 5:05 a.m. to 10:50 p.m., and Sunday service runs from 10:10 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. The supplemental school routes operate on weekdays, from as early as 7:20 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Buses and minibuses provide transit services to the vast majority of BAT passengers. The table below shows the number of revenue-producing and non-revenue-producing vehicles⁵ used at BAT during fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

Number of BAT Vehicles

Vehicle Type	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Revenue-Producing	109	109
Non-Revenue-Producing	9	9
Total	118	118

Vehicle Maintenance

BAT operates an administrative office at 155 Court Street, and a maintenance facility in an approximately 19,500-square-foot building at 1442 Main Street, in Brockton. At the end of our audit period, BAT had a total of 118 vehicles in its fleet. The table below shows the types and average ages of the vehicles in BAT’s fleet during the audit period.

BAT Vehicle Fleet Average Age

Make and Model	Vehicle Type	Vehicle Count	Average Age (Years)
Gillig Low Floor	Bus	41	8.76
Ford Starcraft	Minibus	21	5.33
Ford Elkhart Coach	Bus	19	1.95
Ford ElDorado AeroTech/E450	Minibus	19	9.42
Ford F350	Truck	2	5.00
Nova Rapid Transit Series	Bus	3	21.00
Chevrolet Silverado	Truck	2	8.00
Ford Explorer	SUV	1	8.00
Ford Taurus	Sedan	2	3.00
International HCCB	Bus	6	6.83
Chevrolet Colorado	Truck	1	2.00
Ford Transit	Van	1	1.95
Total		118

 

The table below shows BAT’s maintenance expenses for the audit period.

BAT Maintenance Expenses

Expenses	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Salaries	$1,127,509	$930,417
Parts and Equipment	506,258	495,712
Fuel	769,733	712,919
Other Vehicle Maintenance	24,270	29,908
Other Maintenance	196,633	144,734
Total	$2,624,403	$2,313,690

 

Below are the actual mileage and maintenance costs per vehicle for fiscal year 2017.

BAT Vehicle Mileage and Maintenance Expenses

Make and Model	Vehicle Count	Total Mileage	Labor Cost	Parts Cost	Total Maintenance Cost	Average Maintenance Cost per Vehicle
Gillig Low Floor	41	1,268,966	$200,850	$347,451	$548,301	$13,373
Ford Starcraft	21	311,868	40,364	32,540	72,905*	$3,472
Ford Elkhart Coach	19	329,126	23,153	15,500	38,653	$2,034
Ford ElDorado AeroTech/E450	19	14,196	2,180	2,181	4,361	$230
Ford F350	2	7,129	114	56	169*	$85
Nova Rapid Transit Series	3	68	465	638	1,103	$368
Chevrolet Silverado	2	4,547	1,493	2,571	4,064	$2,032
Ford Explorer	1	2,011	1,940	3,823	5,763	$5,763
Ford Taurus	2	20,840	269	258	527	$264
International HCCB	6	82,693	13,770	13,984	27,754	$4,626
Chevrolet Colorado	1	5,382	132	537	669	$669
Ford Transit	1	297	0	0	0	$0
Total	118	2,047,123	$284,730	$419,539	$704,269

*    Discrepancies in totals are due to rounding.

 

FTA requires all RTAs to report to it any information related to their transit vehicle inventories or maintenance and repairs that they conduct. This information is included in FTA’s National Transit Database. At the time of our audit, BAT was using the Ron Turley Associates, Inc. Fleet Management Software to document all of its vehicle asset and expense information and report it to FTA.

BAT Programs

BAT works with Brockton Public Schools to promote the use of student passes. BAT is also an active member of several local organizations, such as Brockton’s Chamber of Commerce, the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board, the Southeast Regional Homeland Security Council, the Old Colony Planning Council’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Old Colony Planning Council’s Joint Transportation Committee. Additionally, BAT provides transportation resources for the area’s councils on aging.  

1.    The communities are Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Hanson, Rockland, Stoughton, West Bridgewater, and Whitman.

2.    Demand-response transportation services are those that run on a flexible schedule and on flexible routes based on the needs of RTA passengers with special needs.

3.    Under Section 23 of Chapter 161B of the General Laws, the Commonwealth, through the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, can contract with an RTA to fund 50% of the net cost of the service the RTA provides. Known as state contract assistance, this funding is provided through the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund.

4.    Under Section 9 of Chapter 161B of the General Laws, annual local assessment payments are adjusted based on the “loss” (operating cost minus revenue) for each specific transit route and the activity and the share of that loss attributable to each town or city.

5.    Non-revenue-producing vehicles are light-duty vehicles for temporary use by BAT employees for agency-related business.

Date published:	August 24, 2018