UMTA's Research and Development Program Should Pay Closer Attention to Transit Industry Needs

Gao ID: CED-82-17 January 20, 1982

GAO reviewed the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's (UMTA) research and development program to identify management weaknesses in the program. UMTA improves long-term mass transportation productivity, efficiency, and service by providing its grantees with innovative equipment, service concepts, and management techniques for providing transit services.

GAO found that UMTA: (1) does not have a means of ensuring that the projects it undertakes are addressing the transit industry's most important needs; (2) is spending research funds and efforts on solving problems that the private sector is addressing on its own; and (3) does not identify or consider barriers that prevent intended users from accepting research results. Also, other than formal statements made from time to time before congressional committees, UMTA has not developed research policies or procedures that would provide its research offices and staff with standard criteria for planning and carrying out their research activities. While UMTA recognizes that its research should be directed toward the needs of the transportation industry, it has not designed a means of ensuring that its research programs are directed toward the most important, widespread industry needs.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Oliver W. Krueger Team: General Accounting Office: Community and Economic Development Division Phone: (202) 275-4914


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