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SD 3932

Regional Transit Authority Performance Management FY25 Annual Report

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

The bill requires an annual MassDOT report detailing FY25 RTA performance against MOUs, covering ridership, finances, assets, safety, and progress toward targets.

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Bill Summary · SD 3932

Summary of Bill SD 3932 (Session 194th) — Regional Transit Authority Performance Management FY25 Annual Report

Purpose and intent

  • This bill requires the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to submit an annual report detailing Regional Transit Authorities’ (RTAs) performance for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) under the FY24-FY25 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
  • The report extracts and presents data on ridership, customer service, asset management, and financial performance, with emphasis on progress toward performance metrics established in the MOUs.
  • The overarching aim is to document how RTAs performed in relation to agreed targets and to inform legislative oversight.

Key provisions and changes

  • Mandated Report Content:
    • Executive summary with rider, financial, asset management, and safety takeaways.
    • Legislative directive and report organization.
    • Trends in RTA ridership and finances, including:
    • Systemwide ridership trends (UPT) comparing FY25 to pre-pandemic FY19 and FY24.
    • Ridership breakdown by fixed route, demand response, demand taxi, and commuter bus.
    • Financial trends, including state funding, farefree initiatives, and grants (e.g., SCA, ETF-funded grants, FFY grants).
    • Detailed performance metric analysis for:
    • Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT) by mode (Fixed Route, Demand Response, Demand Taxi, Demand Taxi UPT/VRM, etc.).
    • Productivity metrics such as UPT per Vehicle Revenue Mile (VRM) and per Vehicle Revenue Hour (VRH).
    • On-Time Performance (OTP) for fixed route and demand response, including seasonal trends and data collection notes.
    • Scheduled Trips Operated (STO) for fixed route and demand response, with targets and variances.
    • Farebox Recovery Ratio (FRR) for fixed route and demand response, including notes on farefree funding impacts.
    • Operating Expenses per VRM/VRH and per UPT, including cost trends and variances.
    • Asset Management Performance Metric Analysis:
    • Rolling stock (bus, cutaway, minivan, etc.), equipment, and facilities data; state of good repair (SGR) assessments; notes on life-cycle replacement.
    • Safety Performance Metric Analysis:
    • Fatalities and injuries, with CY2024 targets of zero fatalities achieved.
    • Safety events and preventable accidents per 100,000 vehicle revenue miles (VRM/VRH) where applicable.
    • Summary, next steps, appendices, and RTA profiles.
  • Appendices and data:
    • Appendix A: RTA background and report methodology.
    • Appendix B: Performance data collection, analysis, and reporting processes; MOU history.
    • Appendix C: Glossary.
    • Appendix D: Individual RTA profiles (BRTA, BAT, CATA, CCRTA, FRTA, GATRA, LRTA, MART, MeVa, MWRTA, NRTA, PVTA, SRTA, VTA, WRTA).

Who is affected

  • Massachusetts Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) and MassDOT's Rail & Transit Division.
  • RTAs’ riders and customers, indirectly affected by reported improvements in ridership, service hours, reliability, safety, and accessibility.
  • General public and policymakers interested in tracking state investment impacts, operational efficiency, and safety outcomes in regional transit.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The report is prepared pursuant to Outside Section 230 of Chapter 140 of the FY2025 Massachusetts Budget (Act of 2024) and covers FY25 data under the FY24-FY25 MOU.
  • Data are submitted annually by RTAs to MassDOT RTD for performance analysis, with results organized to support cross-agency comparisons and peer learning.
  • The document includes multiple tables and figures illustrating monthly and annual performance against targets, plus narrative conclusions and recommended next steps.

Notable findings highlighted in the bill’s summary

  • Ridership: FY25 ridership (32.7 million UPT) surpassed pre-pandemic FY19 levels (28.9 million UPT), with fixed-route ridership exceeding FY19 by a significant margin and demand response recovering toward FY19 levels.
  • Funding: State funding to RTAs via State Contract Assistance (SCA) increased to about $160 million in FY25; increase in farefree funding (ETF-based) to support expanded service, affecting FRR measurements.
  • Service expansion: Expanded evening and weekend hours, new routes, and farefree pilots supported by increased funding.
  • Safety: Achieved zero fatalities in CY2024 across all RTAs; continued adoption of PTASP principles.
  • Asset management: Most assets remain in good repair, with ongoing fleet replacements and facility upgrades; anticipated capital costs rise with increased ridership.
  • Decarbonization: Ongoing fleet electrification efforts supported by MassDOT BEB Phase II studies and external grants (FTA Low/No Emissions, Bus & Bus Facilities).

Conclusion

  • The bill codifies a comprehensive FY25 RTA performance reporting framework, consolidating cross-agency performance data, trends, and asset/safety/fiscal analyses. It underscores the Commonwealth’s progress in ridership growth, expanded service, and safety, while acknowledging rising operating costs and the ongoing transition toward lower-emission fleets. The report is designed to support informed decision-making and continued performance monitoring by the Legislature.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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