Department of Transportation Needs Better Assurance That Transit Systems Are Maintaining Buses

GAO examined the preventive maintenance activities of six major transit systems to determine whether the substantial federal investment in transit buses is adequately protected through proper maintenance.

GAO found that, although the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) requires grantees to maintain buses purchased with federal assistance, it has no policy or guidelines explaining the criteria for adequate maintenance. In addition, it has not systematically evaluated how well vehicles purchased with federal assistance are maintained. The scope and severity of maintenance problems nationwide is largely unknown. However, in its study of six major transit systems, GAO found that buses did not always receive timely preventive maintenance which could affect their reliability and useful life. In one system, over one-third of the year's scheduled maintenance activities were performed when the vehicles' mileage exceeded that prescribed for maintenance by at least 1,000 miles. Although climate and terrain can also affect bus performance, GAO believes that some of the decline in the reliability of many transit systems' vehicles may be attributed to untimely or inadequate maintenance. GAO also found: (1) that many transit operators lack the resources to carry out preventive maintenance programs despite the availability of federal operating assistance; and (2) inadequate mechanic training and maintenance facilities, a lack of mechanics, and more sophisticated vehicles requiring more maintenance.

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: Herbert R. Mclure Team: General Accounting Office: Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division Phone: (202) 275-4905