GAO: FTA should be more transparent with capital grant program

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week issued three recommendations to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to make its Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program more transparent and effective.

In its biennial review of the FTA’s implementation of the CIG program, the GAO found that sponsors of most of the 66 projects in program have experienced delays moving through at least one aspect of the program's development processes.

The causes of the delays were often factors unique to each project. Some sponsors also reported aspects of FTA's reviews to be confusing or expected FTA to take actions sooner.

Due to the reports, GAO recommends the FTA clarify aspects of the methods it uses and factors it considers when revising projects; review agency guidance to identify items that may be outdated or confusing; and communicate information, such as the reason why a project is not advancing, to sponsors in a timely manner. 

FTA concurred with reviewing agency guidance but disagreed with the GAO's other recommendations, stating additional action is not needed for such purposes, according to a report summary published last week.

GAO believes FTA needs further action to help ensure the effectiveness and transparency of its reviews, according to the report.