Purpose

To determine whether the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's bus drivers met the requirements of Article 19-A of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. The audit covers bus drivers who worked in passenger service January 1, 2010 through April 25, 2012.

Background

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation providing transportation services in and around the New York City metropolitan area. The MTA has seven operating constituent agencies; two of them (MTA Bus and New York City Transit) provide bus service. In 2008, the MTA established its Regional Bus Operations (RBO) to consolidate maintenance and transportation operations into one organization. RBO maintains a fleet of about 5,600 buses operating out of 28 depots.

Article 19-A of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law was enacted to further highway safety by creating standards for the qualification of bus drivers. Article 19-A requires that bus drivers meet certain requirements in order to obtain and retain the ability to operate a bus carrying passengers. RBO's Safety and Training Division is responsible for scheduling and ensuring that these requirements are met, and must maintain the records documenting driver compliance.

Key Findings

• The majority of the MTA bus drivers we sampled met the requirements of Article 19-A of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
• Of 142 drivers sampled, RBO allowed seven who did not meet Article 19-A requirements to drive buses transporting an estimated 8,400 passengers on a total of 38 days.
• Safety and Training Division files did not always contain complete medical records.

Key Recommendations

• Ensure that all drivers have met the requirements of Article 19-A, and instruct depot superintendents that no driver can operate a bus in passenger service if the requirements are not met.
• Monitor completed medical examination dates on the Unified Timekeeping System and develop a method of ensuring that completed medical records have been appropriately sent to, reviewed and filed at the training facility.

Other Related Audits/Reports of Interest

Department of Motor Vehicles: Bus Driver Licensing and Oversight (2005-S-53)
Department of Motor Vehicles: Issuance of Commercial Driver's Licenses (2007-S-96)
Department of Motor Vehicles: Bus Driver Licensing and Oversight (2008-F-51)