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Recommendations Database

GAO’s recommendations database contains report recommendations that still need to be addressed. GAO’s priority recommendations are those that we believe warrant priority attention. We sent letters to the heads of key departments and agencies, urging them to continue focusing on these issues. Below you can search only priority recommendations, or search all recommendations.

Our recommendations help congressional and agency leaders prepare for appropriations and oversight activities, as well as help improve government operations. Moreover, when implemented, some of our priority recommendations can save large amounts of money, help Congress make decisions on major issues, and substantially improve or transform major government programs or agencies, among other benefits.

As of October 25, 2020, there are 4812 open recommendations, of which 473 are priority recommendations. Recommendations remain open until they are designated as Closed-implemented or Closed-not implemented.

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Results:

Subject Term: "Public transportation"

9 publications with a total of 16 open recommendations including 1 priority recommendation
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Capital Investment Grants Program: FTA Should Improve the Effectiveness and Transparency of Its Reviews
GAO-20-512, Jul 16, 2020
Director: Andrew Von Ah
Phone: (202) 512-2834

3 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should take steps to provide information to Congress and sponsors to better clarify how FTA applies the methods and factors it considers when performing its review of sponsors' projects. Clarification could include how FTA uses documents, such as project roadmaps, to help sponsors advance through the development process; estimated time frames for reviewing submissions and responding to sponsors' requests; and how FTA considers geographic diversity of projects in its decision-making. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Transportation
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should take steps to review all agency guidance pertaining to the Capital Investment Grants program's development process and identify aspects that may be outdated or confusing for sponsors, and communicate to Congress and sponsors the steps needed to update FTA's guidance or otherwise provide sponsors with more current information on the Capital Investment Grants program. As part of FTA's efforts, FTA could obtain feedback from sponsors and the industry on these issues as appropriate. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Transportation
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should take steps to ensure its staff communicates information, such as the reason why a project is not advancing, to sponsors in a timely manner and in writing upon the sponsor's request. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Transportation
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Passenger Rail Security: TSA Engages with Stakeholders but Could Better Identify and Share Standards and Key Practices
GAO-20-404, Apr 3, 2020
Director: Triana McNeil
Phone: (202) 512-8777

1 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The TSA Administrator should update the BASE cybersecurity template to ensure it reflects cybersecurity key practices, including the Detect and Recover functions outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Homeland Security: Transportation Security Administration
Status: Open

Comments: TSA concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it by updating the BASE Cybersecurity Security Action Item section to ensure it reflects the NIST Cybersecurity Framework Detect and Recover functions. When we confirm what actions TSA has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Public Transportation: Enhanced Federal Information Sharing on Coordination Could Improve Rural Transit Services
GAO-20-205, Jan 7, 2020
Director: Susan Fleming
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Administrator of FTA should develop a communication plan that will effectively share information with state transportation agencies and rural and tribal transit providers on coordination opportunities and leading coordination practices in an accessible and informative way. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Transportation: Federal Transit Administration
Status: Open

Comments: As of June 2020, FTA partially concurred with this recommendation. FTA noted that they will direct the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (NRTAP) to create a centralized, searchable library database cataloging all available resources that cover transportation coordination. This library database will include resources developed by FTA, other Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) members, and their technical assistance centers and initiatives, such as the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES). FTA will complete these actions by August 31, 2021. We will review the database and other resources when they become available.
Emergency Transportation Relief: Federal Transit Administration and FEMA Took Actions to Coordinate, but Steps Are Needed to Address Risk of Duplicate Funding
GAO-20-85, Nov 13, 2019
Director: Fleming, Susan A
Phone: (202) 512-2834

2 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator of FTA to identify and develop controls, such as methods to more easily identify transit expenses within applications submitted by larger entities, such as a city, county, or state government, to address the risk of duplicate funding. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Transportation
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to identify and develop controls, such as methods to more easily identify transit expenses within applications submitted by larger entities such as a city, county, or state government, to address the risk of duplicate funding. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Homeland Security
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Transit Workforce Development: Improved Strategic Planning Practices Could Enhance FTA Efforts
GAO-19-290, Mar 14, 2019
Director: Mark Goldstein
Phone: (202) 512-2834

3 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should determine, in collaboration with transit stakeholders, whether additional transit workforce data are needed to identify potential future occupational shortages in the transit industry and whether the benefits of this collection would outweigh the cost of gathering it. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Transportation: Federal Transit Administration
Status: Open

Comments: On February 11, 2020 FTA stated that they anticipate issuing a notice of funding opportunity to establish a technical assistance center devoted to addressing the workforce development needs of the transit industry. They anticipate implementing this recommendation by January 31, 2021.
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should develop and document a strategy that outlines how FTA will help address future transit workforce needs. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Transportation: Federal Transit Administration
Status: Open

Comments: On February 11, 2020 FTA stated that they anticipate issuing a notice of funding opportunity to establish a technical assistance center devoted to addressing the workforce development needs of the transit industry. They anticipate implementing this recommendation by January 31, 2021.
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should develop and document clearly defined performance goals and measures for its transit workforce development efforts. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Transportation: Federal Transit Administration
Status: Open

Comments: DOT concurred with this recommendation and stated that FTA will enter into a cooperative agreement with a non-profit partner to develop and implement performance measures for FTA's workforce development efforts. FTA will coordinate with the Department of Labor on these measures. FTA plans to complete these actions by October 1, 2021.
Public Transit Partnerships: Additional Information Needed to Clarify Data Reporting and Share Best Practices
GAO-18-539, Jul 30, 2018
Director: Mark Goldstein
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: FTA should determine which on-demand services qualify as "public transportation" based on the statutory definition and disseminate information to clarify whether and how to report data from such services into the National Transit Database (NTD). (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Transportation: Federal Transit Administration
Status: Open

Comments: DOT concurred with this recommendation. As of September 2018, FTA planned to implement it by updating its NTD manual to include a new data collection field for on-demand services provided by Transportation Network Companies (TNC) in order to track these separately from other types of on-demand services. FTA will post a proposed update to clarify whether and how to report TNC-provided services into the NTD. FTA plans to post the proposed revisions along with specifications for which on-demand services qualify as "Public transportation" to the NTD policy in the Federal Register for comment. As of May 2020, FTA anticipated completing these actions by November 30, 2020.
Capital Investment Grants Program: FTA Should Address Several Statutory Provisions
GAO-18-462, May 31, 2018
Director: Mark L. Goldstein
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: The FTA Administrator should initiate a rulemaking regarding the evaluation and rating process for Core Capacity Improvement projects, consistent with statutory provisions. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Transportation
Status: Open

Comments: As of March 2020, DOT indicated that the Department was working to determine what actions it will take regarding initiating a rulemaking. When we confirm what actions DOT has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Rail Transit: Federal Transit Administration Can Strengthen Safety Oversight by Improving Guidance to States
GAO-18-310, Mar 20, 2018
Director: Mark Goldstein
Phone: (202) 512-2834

1 open recommendations
including 1 priority recommendation
Display
Recommendation: The Office of Transit Safety and Oversight should develop and communicate a method for how it will monitor the effectiveness of the enforcement authorities and practices of state safety agencies. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Transportation: Federal Transit Administration
Status: Open
Priority recommendation

Comments: DOT concurred with this recommendation. DOT should continue its progress to developing and communicating a methodology for how it will monitor the effectiveness of state safety agencies' enforcement.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Improved Planning of Future Rehabilitation Projects Could Prevent Limitations Identified with SafeTrack
GAO-17-348, Mar 14, 2017
Director: Mark Goldstein
Phone: (202) 512-2834

3 open recommendations
Display
Recommendation: To ensure future large-scale rehabilitation projects are in line with leading project management practices, WMATA should develop a policy that requires and includes relevant procedures specifying that, prior to starting large-scale projects, WMATA should use detailed data on the conditions of assets to develop project objectives and scope.

Agency: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Status: Open

Comments: As of July 2020, WMATA is managing three efforts focused on improving WMATA's asset inventory and condition assessment processes. Specifically, WMATA reported that it is developing Data Governance and Standards rules and working with contractors to improve WMATA's asset inventory and condition assessment processes. These efforts should all be complete by the end of 2020. GAO will continue to monitor WMATA's efforts to address this recommendation.
Recommendation: To ensure future large-scale rehabilitation projects are in line with leading project management practices, WMATA should develop a policy that requires and includes relevant procedures specifying that, prior to starting large-scale projects, WMATA should evaluate and compare alternative ways of accomplishing the project objectives, including estimates for the alternatives' costs and impacts.

Agency: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Status: Open

Comments: As of July 2020, WMATA has implemented a new process to evaluate major projects. More specifically, WMATA's new initiative includes a process for assessing and presenting alternative strategies for selected major projects. WMATA currently has a number of cases moving through this process for the first time, and GAO will assess the outcomes of these cases as well as the extent to which this process is codified in WMATA policies later in 2020.
Recommendation: To ensure future large-scale rehabilitation projects are in line with leading project management practices, WMATA should develop a policy that requires and includes relevant procedures specifying that, prior to starting large-scale projects, WMATA should develop a comprehensive project management plan for the selected alternative--to include key elements such as detailed plans for managing the project's scope, schedule, and cost--for those projects that may not be designated major capital projects.

Agency: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Status: Open

Comments: As of July 2020, WMATA is updating its Infrastructure Project Implementation Manual, which would cover projects such as new construction and rehabilitation of facilities and systems. WMATA is planning to issue the update for the Project Implementation Manual by end of September 2020. GAO will continue to monitor WMATA's progress in addressing this recommendation.