The Athens-Clarke County Transit system conducted its periodic audit, highlighting six key findings and 17 accompanying recommendations.
The findings include issues with the clarity of public transit information, employee compensation, and operational effectiveness. The operational analysis office also found problems with the security of the current facilities.
The audit showed that before fare-free rides began in 2020, there were 97 incidents requiring police presence, but that number has since risen to 271 in 2024, showing a 180% increase within 5 years.
Internal auditor, Gavin Hassemer, spoke at last night's Mayor and Commission meeting about the budgeting for these issues, “This was certainly one of the more complex budgets just from a day-to-day standpoint when you look at transit and the funding that they receive.” Hassemer goes on to say that the audit recommendations did not currently lead to a fixed dollar amount, budget-wise.
Many of the recommendations for these findings were agreed upon or partially agreed upon by the Transit Administration. If approved, these improvements would be implemented between the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years.
