Auditor General DePasquale Launches His Second Review of Port Authority of Allegheny County

March 02 2018

Auditor General DePasquale Launches His Second Review of Port Authority of Allegheny County

Audit to focus on meeting needs of public by looking at routes, hiring of police officers, drivers

PITTSBURGH (March 2, 2018) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said he is starting his second special performance audit of the Port Authority of Allegheny County to determine if it is properly serving the needs of riders and the public.

“The 200,000 daily riders of the Port Authority transit system deserve the best possible service to get them to work, school, appointments, shopping and other activities,” DePasquale said. “Through this audit my team will review the port authority’s operation and, if necessary, make recommendations to improve how it can better support the growing economy in greater Pittsburgh.”

The audit will cover Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2017, initially focusing on these objectives:

• Determine the adherence to and effectiveness of the port authority’s hiring policies and procedures, especially for hiring police officers and transportation drivers; and
• Determine the effectiveness of how the port authority manages its service routes.

Auditors will also determine the port authority’s compliance with DePasquale’s March 2014 audit report. That audit found improvements were needed in the port authority’s contracting and procurement practices. The 2014 audit also revealed that the authority paid excessive relocation expenses of more than $28,000 to an employee hired in 2009, including $15,000 for five months of corporate housing and $4,200 for a rental car. That same employee double-billed the agency $4,300 in relocation costs that were subsequently re-paid by the employee after auditors notified the agency during the audit. In another two relocation reimbursement incidents, the authority’s failure to follow its own relocation reimbursement procedures cost the agency almost $5,000 when the two employees resigned within less than two years of employment.

The county-owned authority receives local, state and federal funding to maintain and support bus, light rail, incline and paratransit services in Allegheny County.

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