OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL - METROPOLITAN TRANSPORT AUTHORITY

When last December`s blizzard hit, it brought the MTA`s subway and bus systems to a standstill. Many customers and employees traveling aboard subway cars and buses became stranded during the evening and as the night wore on. The recovery process was lengthy, with passengers still being rescued the next morning. Full service was not restored for several days. The Office of the MTA Inspector General initiated its own independent review designed to augment, but not duplicate, the MTA`s internal evaluation. We shared in writing our most critical observations and ten recommendations last May with MTA top managers, including the President of NYC Transit. These findings and recommendations are now made public in our report entitled, "NYC Transit Response to December 2010 Blizzard" (2011-07) including a recent update on NYC Transit`s positive response to all our recommendations. Our finding include that the Department of Buses radio system between the buses and the command center failed at the height of the storm; that there was no information flowing from the field to augment decision-making; and that those in the field had no authorization to curtail or detour buses from hazardous routes. The subway system had similar failures on its elevated lines, where passengers and crews were at great risk but there was little to no direction from central command on how to adapt. Compounding these problems, MTA communications with customers regarding service shutdowns were seriously delayed and frequently inconsistent.