UTA failed to register some vehicles

Audit • Agency says minor foul-ups corrected.

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Oops. Some Utah Transit Authority vehicles have been driving around without renewing required state registration, and after failing emissions tests.

That was an unexpected finding in a routine audit conducted by UTA to ensure it could account for the whereabouts of all its vehicles. The audit was given to the UTA Board's Finance & Operations Committee on Wednesday.

The audit said one vehicle used to shuttle FrontRunner operators "was not properly registered for 2013. This would indicate that it also had not been inspected and posed a considerable liability for UTA in the event of an accident."

Additionally, "Seven vehicles in the Ogden Division had not been registered," and "had failed initial emissions testing."

The management response to the audit said the seven vehicles from Ogden had "failed initial emission testing and required follow-up action" before they could be registered.

But "the maintenance supervisor in charge of this task retired prior to completing the process and failed to pass information on to the manager or another supervisor." It said UTA has taken steps to ensure that the mistake isn't repeated.

The audit said the unregistered shuttle was a retired vehicle that was kept available for limited use. It said operators who checked it out incorrectly assumed it was properly licensed and inspected.

All such retired vehicles kept for occasional use have since been inspected and licensed, the audit said.