(a) The transportation planning agency shall designate entities other than itself, a county transportation commission, a transit development board, or an operator to make a performance audit of its activities and the activities of each operator to whom it allocates funds. The transportation planning agency shall consult with the entity to be audited prior to designating the entity to make the performance audit.
Where a transit development board created pursuant to Division 11 (commencing with Section 120000) or a county transportation commission exists, the board or commission, as the case may be, shall designate entities other than itself, a transportation planning agency, or an operator to make a performance audit of its activities and those of operators located in the area under its jurisdiction to whom it directs the allocation of funds. The board or commission shall consult with the entity to be audited prior to designating the entity to make the performance audit.
(b) The performance audit shall evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of the operation of the entity being audited and shall be conducted in accordance with the efficiency, economy, and program results portions of the Comptroller General’s “Standards for Audit of Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities, and Functions.” Performance audits shall be conducted triennially pursuant to a schedule established by the transportation planning agency, transit development board, or county transportation commission having jurisdiction over the operator.
(c) The performance audit of the transportation planning agency, county transportation commission, or transit development board shall be submitted to the director. The transportation planning agency, county transportation commission, or transit development board, as the case may be, shall certify in writing to the director that the performance audit of operators located in the area under its jurisdiction has been completed.
(d) With respect to an operator providing public transportation services, the performance audit shall include, but not be limited to, a verification of the operator’s operating cost per passenger, operating cost per vehicle service hour, passengers per vehicle service hour, passengers per vehicle service mile, and vehicle service hours per employee, as defined in Section 99247. The performance audit shall include, but not be limited to, consideration of the needs and types of the passengers being served and the employment of part-time drivers and the contracting with common carriers of persons operating under a franchise or license to provide services during peak hours, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 99260.2.
The performance audit may include performance evaluations both for the entire system and for the system excluding special, new, or expanded services instituted to test public transportation service growth potential.
(e) The performance audit prepared pursuant to this section shall be made available to the public pursuant to the provisions of the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 354, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)