State auditor launches T probe
The state auditor’s office will conduct a performance audit of the MBTA, focusing on safety risk management and overall system improvement.
State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is launching the probe this month to provide “greater transparency and accountability as it pertains to this multibillion dollar system,” she said in a statement.
The audit will review the T’s performance from Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2022, a time period marked by repeated safety failures that prompted a rare federal investigation into the agency’s subway system.
“We are all aware of the significant challenges across the board at the MBTA,” DiZoglio said. “Safety issue after issue has arisen and the taxpayers continue to be on the hook. Taxpayers deserve to know how their dollars are being spent.”
DiZoglio, a former state senator from Methuen, first announced her intention to conduct what she previously described as a safety audit of the MBTA during her campaign for auditor last June.
The probe will not be a financial audit, a spokesperson for DiZoglio said, but added that discussing the scope would be against Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards.
DiZoglio’s office described the review as a “performance audit” in a Feb. 15 letter sent to Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca and MBTA officials, but specific details were redacted in the copy shared with the Herald.
MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said, “We have received this communication and will be cooperating with the state auditor’s office.”
In her statement, DiZoglio said the probe will focus on “safety risk management and overall areas of improvement.”
She plans to share the results of this audit with Gov. Maura Healey, the Legislature, employers and the general public to help ensure the reliability and safety of the region’s public transportation system.