Overview of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

Additional information about the authority and its responsibilities.

Regional Transit Authorities

In 1973, 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 (MassDOT) “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. As shown below, 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.

 

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 MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) was established on July 1, 2007 by Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009, “An Act Modernizing the Transportation Systems of the Commonwealth.” According to MWRTA’s senior management, the agency’s mission is to increase the use of regional mass transit. An administrator is responsible for day-to-day administration of the agency, which had 28 full-time and 23 part-time staff members during our audit period. MWRTA’s operations are overseen by an advisory board made up of one member from each of the 15 communities¹ the agency serves. The advisory board is responsible for policy decisions and general oversight of MWRTA’S administrative operations. In fiscal year 2016, MWRTA contracted with First Transit Incorporated to provide fixed-route and demand-response² transportation services, including maintenance and administrative functions. However, in fiscal year 2017, MWRTA discontinued this contract and assumed responsibility for these services.

During our audit period, MWRTA’s capital fund expenditures were $3,577,754 for fiscal year 2016 and $5,411,778 for fiscal year 2017. The table below shows the types of capital fund expenditures made by MWRTA.

MWRTA Capital Fund Expenditures 

Type of Expenditure	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Land	$       37,446	$  328,169
Building and Improvements	3,042,515	4,496,797
Service Equipment	31,550	133,293
Transit Equipment	364,459	424,148
Service Vehicles	80,607	0
Furniture and Fixtures	21,177	29,371
Total	$ 3,577,754	$ 5,411,778

 

In fiscal years 2016 and 2017, MWRTA 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 is state contract assistance,³ followed by local assessment⁴ payments, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants, and fare revenue. The table below shows the types of funding MWRTA received during the audit period.

 

MWRTA Operating Funding Sources 

Type of Funding	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
State Contract Assistance	$ 2,715,598	$ 3,015,598
Local Assessments	2,546,081	3,351,903
Federal Grants	2,473,503	2,266,915
Fare Revenue	582,951	622,656
Other Funds*	234,546	437,697
Total	$ 8,552,679	$ 9,694,769

*    Other funds include shuttle service fares and reimbursements.

 

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

 

MWRTA Operating Expenses 

Type of Expense	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Transit Service	$ 5,457,431	$  5,841,362
Call Center	477,301	535,898
Maintenance	1,377,288	1,816,675
Other Operating Expenses	1,223,524	1,616,220
Total	$ 8,535,544	$  9,810,155

Vehicle Fleet and Service Route Area

MWRTA operates local fixed-route and demand-response services within the 214-square-mile Metrowest area, serving a population of more than 231,000. It operates a network of 14 local transit routes, 4 commuter routes, and 2 supplemental school routes. The local fixed-route service operates six days a week; weekday service runs from as early as 5:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., and Saturday service runs from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The 2 supplemental school routes operate on weekdays, from as early as 7:15 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Minibuses provide transit services to the vast majority of MWRTA passengers, and its vanpool provides paratransit services. The table below shows the number of revenue-producing and non-revenue-producing vehicles⁵ used at MWRTA during fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

 

Number of MWRTA Vehicles

Vehicle Type	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Revenue-Producing	58	100
Non-Revenue-Producing	4	4
Total	62	104

Vehicle Maintenance

MWRTA operates its administrative office and a maintenance facility in an approximately 3,000-square-foot building in Framingham. At the end of our audit period, MWRTA had a total of 104 vehicles in its fleet. The table below shows the types and average ages of the vehicles in MWRTA’s fleet during the audit period.

 

MWRTA Vehicle Fleet Average Age

Make and Model	Vehicle Type	Vehicle Count	Average Age (Years)
Ford E350	Minibus	57	3.18
Ford E450	Minibus	34	2.76
Ford MV-1	Paratransit Van	8	3.00
Ford Explorer	Van	4	9.75
Ford Crown Victoria	Sedan	1	8.00

 

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

 

MWRTA Maintenance Expenses

Expenses	Fiscal Year 2016	Fiscal Year 2017
Salaries	$     278,821	$    528,054
Parts and Equipment	143,154	201,783
Fuel	491,735	549,301
Insurance	233,963	263,788
Other Vehicle Maintenance	32,479	71,477
Other Maintenance	197,136	202,272
Total	$ 1,377,288	$ 1,816,675

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

 

MWRTA Vehicle Mileage and Maintenance Expenses

Make and Model	Vehicle Count	Total Mileage	Labor Cost	Parts Cost	Total Maintenance Cost	Average Maintenance Cost per Vehicle
Ford E450	34	1,398,516	$132,309	$114,499	$246,809*	$7,259
Ford E350	57	1,073,040	91,492	62,216	153,708	$2,697
Ford MV-1	8	40,654	6,043	2,038	8,081	$1,010
Ford Explorer	4	40,060	1,338	808	2,145*	$536
Ford Crown Victoria	1	19,407	425	299	724	$724
Total	104	2,571,677	$231,607	$179,860	$411,467

*    Discrepancies in cost totals are due to rounding.

FTA requires all RTAs to report to it any information related to their transit vehicle inventories and maintenance and repairs that they conduct. This information is included in FTA’s National Transit Database. At the time of our audit, MWRTA was using fleet management software called Fleetio Manage to document all of its vehicle asset and expense information and report this information to FTA.

MWRTA Community Programs

In an effort to create employment opportunities, MWRTA offers Commercial Driver’s License Program training for anyone who is interested a career in the transportation industry. In a separate program, MWRTA collaborates with Framingham State University to provide transportation to students and faculty members through a student-operated transit system. Under the program, MWRTA provides the vehicles and maintenance for the program, as well as some oversight and training for the students. MWRTA has also been an active participant in the Framingham Intermodal Program, which creates coordinated, efficient transportation in the communities around Framingham.

1. The Metrowest area that MWRTA serves consists of the communities of Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston.

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 MWRTA employees for agency-related business.

 

Date published:	June 19, 2018