Audit: MTA can't find vehicle parts, millions over maintenance budget

A new state report found several shortfalls in the MTA’s oversight of its work vehicles, including the misplacement of tens of thousands of dollars worth of extra parts.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office analyzed the maintenance and inventory practices for 1,950 “nonrevenue service vehicles” — vehicles not used to transport customers — at New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company, two divisions of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Among the findings of the audit, which covered the period between January 2019 and April 2021, was that a lack of an inventory system for parts purchased for the vehicles “resulted in parts that were unaccounted for.”

Of $30,870 in purchased parts, auditors said that $21,928-worth of those parts “could not be traced to a vehicle or located in stock for future use.”

“It’s not acceptable that this audit found the MTA could not locate more than half of its parts inventory for nonrevenue service vehicles,” DiNapoli said in a statement Thursday. “The MTA needs to do a better job.”

In a written response to the audit, Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company, said he “agrees” or “acknowledges” all the recommendations made by auditors, including that the agencies should train staff on record keeping and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date inventory list. The audit did not cover LIRR vehicles.

Davey said while the MTA’s “systems do not allow us to implement this recommendation at this time,” the agency is “pursuing the feasibility” of developing a software-based system for managing its fleet of work vehicles.

The audit also found that 60.7% of vehicles in one sample did not receive the scheduled service under the MTA’s own maintenance guidelines.

Even with the lax maintenance efforts, maintenance costs were higher than they should be, according to auditors. At $50.5 million, the costs were 21% over the $41.8 million budget. And the departments’ “Support Fleet Services,” which are in charge of maintenance, “did not have a process to analyze its maintenance costs in an effort to manage costs.”

Auditors recommended the development of a process to track and monitor maintenance costs. Davey said the MTA would look into developing such a system.

MTA spokesperson Michael Cortez said in a statement Thursday: “NYC Transit is implementing protocols and evaluating new software systems in order to make improvements in efficiency and accountability.”

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.