Overview
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was created in 1964 pursuant to Chapter 161A of the Massachusetts General Laws. The agency provides services via its rapid transit system, commuter rail service, bus service, ferry routes, and transit service for people with disabilities. According to its website, the MBTA is not only the largest public transportation system in the Commonwealth but also “one of the largest public transit systems in the country, serving nearly 200 cities and towns and over 1 million daily riders on the subway, bus, ferry, and Commuter Rail.”
Although the MBTA Transit Police Department has the primary responsibility for monitoring and ensuring security on the MBTA, MBTA management explained to us that physical security at the MBTA is a shared service and multiple departments have critical roles. The Security and Emergency Management Department programs and activates employee access identification (ID) cards to work on the access control system. The Automated Fare Collection Department issues MBTA employee access ID cards. The Transit Facilities Maintenance Department maintains fencing, physical doors and door hardware, and non-motorized facility gates.
Vehicle Maintenance
The MBTA operates 10 facilities that house and maintain its current fleet of buses. Employees at these facilities clean, inspect, repair, refuel, and service the MBTA’s 1,002 active buses. According to MBTA management, 8 of these facilities operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week; the other 2 operate 24 hours a day, five days a week.
The MBTA performs service, inspection, and repair on its trains at 13 additional facilities. Trains return to these facilities at the end of the day and are shut down, cleaned out, and made ready for the next day’s service. Essential train supplies and excess parts are also stored at these facilities.
Employee Access ID Cards
All MBTA employees are issued employee access ID cards, which must be visibly worn at all times while employees are on duty. These cards confirm employees’ affiliation with the MBTA and are used by the MBTA to control access to restricted areas of facilities and buildings equipped with card readers.1 As an employee benefit, each card is also embedded with an MBTA CharlieCard chip granting free, unrestricted use of the transit system. Upon collection of their employee access ID cards, retirees are issued new retiree ID cards, granting free transportation for life.
Card Reader Access Control System
At the time we initiated our audit work, seven of the MBTA’s vehicle maintenance facilities used an electronic access control system to monitor and control access to secured areas within facilities. This system manages and maintains data pertaining to employee security access privileges and employee access ID cards. The MBTA has installed card readers at perimeter gates, building and perimeter entrances and exits, and other internal and external points at these facilities. This system allows authorized employees to enter through secured areas conveniently without needing to use physical keys.
In addition to controlling access, the electronic access control system can be programmed to provide door alarm monitoring to detect improper use of the system. Each door is individually evaluated during installation to determine the need for an alarm and the protocols after triggering, including who should respond.
Employee Separation Process
Several parties are involved when an employee separates from the MBTA. The Human Resources Department (HR), the Automated Fare Collection Department, the Security and Emergency Management Department, and other departments all play critical roles in the processing of exit forms and the disabling of access to vital MBTA systems.
When employees separate from the MBTA, they are to return all MBTA property, including their employee access ID cards, to their supervisors during exit interviews. Supervisors complete required separation forms, including an “Inventory Reclamation Sheet,” documenting the collection of any MBTA property. Completed separation forms and any returned property are turned in to HR. HR physically delivers returned employee access ID cards to the Automated Fare Collection Department, where they are placed in secure bins and discarded.
Upon receiving separation information from department heads, HR enters it in the Commonwealth’s official payroll system (the Human Resource / Compensation Management System), processing the employee termination. At this point, the employee’s name will appear on a termination report that is distributed to the appropriate parties across the MBTA, including the Automated Fare Collection Department (which is responsible for disabling individuals’ free transportation benefit or issuing new ID cards to retirees) and the Security and Emergency Management Department (which is responsible for disabling terminated employees’ physical access).
Perimeter Security Fencing
At the time we initiated our audit work, 20 of the MBTA’s vehicle maintenance and storage facilities had perimeter security fencing systems in place. Physical barriers, such as fencing systems, are a core component of an agency’s access control system. According to the American Public Transportation Association’s Recommended Practice: Fencing Systems to Control Access, a fencing system “defines boundaries and limits . . . channels access and egress, provides visual barriers, supports security and safety, and can deter and delay intrusion and trespassing.”
| Date published: | April 23, 2020 |
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