MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Mayor Paul Young appeared before the city council Tuesday to tell them that the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) will undergo a forensic audit.
Young says the overall goal of this audit is to find out how MATA ended up in a roughly $60 million deficit, look into how MATA is spending money and how that money could be spent better to make the transportation system more efficient and reliable.
“We’re not expecting any criminal activity but we just want to make sure we are following what dollars have been spent on,” the mayor said.
Many Memphians rely on MATA buses to get around the Bluff City.
“We need it bad out here,” said Sammie Hunter, co-chairman for the Memphis Bus Riders Union. “For the people that are trying to get to work, people that are trying to get to the grocery store and people that are trying to get to healthcare.”
For years, many Memphians have expressed how they're not satisfied with MATA's progress.
“This is the most incompetent run bus system in the world in Memphis, Tennessee,” said bus rider Randy Barbour.
Finding the most efficient way to turn that negative perception around is part of why MATA is undergoing the forensic audit.
The roughly $60 million budget shortfall means cuts will have to be made, which interim MATA CEO Bacarra Mauldin said would be discussed at a finance meeting on Aug. 20.
The audit, which will be conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, will take a look at MATA’s past spending over multiple years. Mayor Young said they are also bringing in a national transportation consultant to advise MATA on smarter spending.
“Are there areas where we can reduce spending without impacting routs? Are there areas where we can reduce routes and combine routes,” Mayor Young said, offering examples.
Hunter believes this audit is long overdue.
“This is something that the Citizen Bus Service and the Bus Riders Union were trying to get done some years ago,” he said. “I’m glad that the mayor has come in and he wants to see where this money is going.”
City leaders expect the audit and the transportation consultant to start their work by September 2024. The city council is also calling for a detailed plan from MATA and Mayor Young to prevent them from falling into this kind of financial hole again.