The Utah Transit Authority said Wednesday that it has found several discrepancies in ridership data sent to the federal government, and the differences may have cost the agency federal funds.
The discrepancies were found in ridership and "passenger mile" reports submitted to the National Transit Database from 1999 to 2004. The transit database, or NTD, is run by the Federal Transit Administration and used to determine whether an agency can receive some federal funds for items such as bus maintenance and operations.
The discrepancies would not have affected funding for big projects such as the expansion of TRAX or the construction of commuter rail, according to UTA.
UTA Chief Operating Officer Jerry Benson said Wednesday that he did not know how much money his agency could have lost as result of the discrepancies. UTA has received an increase in formula funds during the past few years, but general manager John Inglish said he has seen indications that UTA "probably lost funds."
This is the second time that UTA has reported inconsistent ridership information this year. In July, the agency said "glitches" with a new passenger counting system caused 2007 TRAX ridership numbers to be less than those reported in 2006.
Benson said inconsistencies with the NTD dealt only with bus ridership numbers. The database showed steady declines in ridership numbers from 2000 to 2004, although UTA data gathered by bus drivers showed the decreases weren't as extreme.
Information gathered for the NTD database is done by an independent contractor who randomly counts passengers on routes. Bus drivers collect ridership numbers for the agency's general use.
Benson said a full review of the NTD issue is planned, in addition to a review of TRAX ridership numbers and the inconsistencies reported in July.
"I would like to have someone looking over our shoulder," he said about the reviews.
A preliminary review shows that passenger counting practices were inconsistent from year to year, and in some cases, not all bus routes were considered in the counting. Also, Bensen said, the agency had a lot of turnover in the position responsible for counting passengers for the NTD, which may have contributed to the discrepancies.
E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com