Latest news with #MemphisAreaTransitAuthority
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WREG wins regional Murrow Award for MATA investigation
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — WREG has been awarded a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for its continuing investigation into the Memphis Area Transit Authority, its finances, and its impact on everyday bus riders. The Radio Television Digital News Association announced regional award winners Wednesday. ► WREG Investigators spent months digging deeper into the transit authority and its $60 million deficit. They pored through records, listened to hours of meetings and pressed for answers to find out what went wrong. See all the stories in this series:– – – – – Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former MATA CEO traveled across the globe on taxpayer money
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — China, India, France, Greece and more — the former Memphis Area Transit Authority CEO took a number of international trips on the taxpayer's dime, according to new records WREG Investigators obtained. Within the hundreds of pages of expense reports, former CEO of MATA Gary Rosenfeld documented his international excursions, and the trips were paid by you, the taxpayer. In 2019, Rosenfeld filled out a report stating he flew to China for an 'electric bus study.' He had MATA reimburse him for airfare, $1,900 for his hotel and a couple thousand more for daily expenses. MORE: What MATA's interim CEO charged to her company credit card Months later, he reported another trip to Greece and Turkey. He didn't give a reason for his travel in the expense report. He just stated hotels and other related costs listed totaled around $2,400. Another report Rosenfeld filled out claimed he spent several thousand when he went to India in 2019 to visit a digital technology company. He went to India again in 2022, and according to his flight he attached, he sat in first class for part of that trip. He also took his CFO, according to MATA's company credit card statements. The technology firm in India later announced a partnership with MATA to launch a smart card system. Rosenfeld agreed to talk to us on the phone, but we could only quote him. He said the trip to India was to inspect ticket vending machines they later purchased. He said they caught issues before the machines were shipped. 'The ticket vending machines had the wrong powder coating on them,' Rosenfeld stated. 'That would have been devastating had those machines gotten all the way here to the U.S., because it wouldn't have held up to the weather our community experiences.' Rosenfeld says he stands by his international travel. The trips were to inspect equipment or technology 'manufactured offshore.' He said, 'It's much easier to go there than it is to ship equipment back and forth.' He said his trip in 2021 to multiple cities in France and Belgium was to check out computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle equipment. MATA's policy stated if an executive traveled internationally, they would get $350 per day for any expenses incurred. Meaning, on top of flights, taxis and hotels, Rosenfeld reported another $4,900 for his per diem for that trip. Rosenfeld further explained to WREG Investigators while the dispatch system was a French-based company, they went to the other cities 'and interviewed those customers to get feedback on how to transition to the new system.' 'We could take advantage of mistakes that had been made in the past and make sure that the transition would be smooth here in Memphis,' he stated. 'It's all part of the due-diligence of when you're buying this type of stuff to make sure that it performs as it gets presented and that it's reliable.' In 2022, Rosenfeld's expense reports listed trips to Finland and Germany. While the reason wasn't listed, the price was. He reported it cost thousands of dollars. It seems Rosenfeld booked a trip to Paris, Qatar, Hong Kong and Australia. The plane ticket totaled more than $11,000 and included some first-class seats. It was set for February 2024. However, Rosenfeld suddenly retired weeks before that trip, which likely explains why he wrote on the expense report the trip was 'cancelled' and noted it was 'nonrefundable.' He got MATA to cut him a check. MORE: MATA credit cards show thousands spent on domestic, international travel Meanwhile, bus rider David Smith said his disappointment in the system has grown as his wait for the bus now averages an hour. 'I have lost a job over it,' he told us. 'I couldn't make it on time because of the bus.' Rider WIllie Lipsey said more should have gone towards fixing the buses. The day we met him, he was worried he wouldn't make it to court on time. 'Last week, I was waiting on the 53, and it broke down. I waited three hours for the 53,' he said. MORE: Tobacco, jewelry store charges found on MATA's credit card 'I stand by what I have done,' Rosenfeld said. 'What I have done is no different than many other transit agencies and public agencies.' He said there are 'true and real reasons' why they did what they did. 'Even if the travel had not happened, it would not impact operating funds,' he said. 'You've been watching this for years, that MATA has been underfunded. This deficit should not be a surprise to this city, to the public and media.' 'The [consumer price index] has gone up in some cases as much as 45%. It's real costs that the organization has experienced. Without an increase in revenue, the only thing that's left that could happen is the services get cut,' he said. 'To suggest these capital funds that were extended for these different systems could have offset operating funds? No, that would have been a violation. It couldn't have happened. It wouldn't have passed an audit.' WREG Investigators requested the MATA executive's expense reports eight months ago after MATA announced it was facing a multi-million shortfall. MATA's board appointed new leadership in January. With help from the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, MATA finally turned over their records. Among the documents was MATA's travel policy. It states the CEO or their designee are ultimately in charge of signing off on the travel and business expenses, and employees are expected to limit expenses to reasonable amounts. According to the records MATA provided, Rosenfeld's expense reports totaled more than $163,000 dollars. About a fourth of that went to international travel. He also filed reports for gas, domestic travel and local dinners. In October 2022, one report stated nearly $2,900 was spent on a celebration dinner at the Capital Grille. The itemized receipt attached shows what was ordered. ► Also included in the latest batch of MATA records obtained through the Tennessee Records Act, MATA interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin's expense reports. On top of what we found in her company credit card statements, her expense reports totaled more than $20,000 from 2021 through 2024. Her reports include several meals, domestic travel and various conferences including two conventions for her sorority. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MATA credit cards show thousands spent on domestic, international travel
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — WREG Investigators uncovered credit card statements from the Memphis Area Transit Authority's executives revealing hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on hotels and travel. MATA first denied our request to see the records, but with help from the Reporter's Committee for the Freedom of the Press, they turned them over, because the Tennessee Records Act states these receipts should not be secret. The statements detail how your taxpayer money was spent every month since 2017 using the top executives' American Express credit cards. A good chunk of the items charged were travel-related. MATA's leadership including the chief executive officer and chief administrative officer, and those in charge of security, compliance, trolleys and finances went on some of these trips. Since 2017, multiple flights were booked to these places you see on the map like Atlanta, D.C., Portland, the San Francisco area, Phoenix, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Orlando and Vegas. MATA spent millions on new office, furniture, Grizzlies suite, more We even found international trips booked using the company card. The former CEO Gary Rosenfeld charged a flight from Turkey to Greece in November 2019, and another trip in June 2023 to Sydney, Australia. The more than $11,000 dollar plane ticket paid for using MATA's credit card points. The former CFO also booked a trip to India in March 2021. That flight cost just under $4,000. We don't know the reason for the international or domestic trips, or if even more trips were booked using other credit cards. Seven months ago, we requested travel expense forms that should give those details. MATA tells us they're still working to gather those records. Between 2017 and 2024, the credit card statements show more than $276,000 was spent on plane and train tickets, seat upgrades, baggage and other collection fees. Then, tack on another almost $439,000 dollars in hotels for the trips. At a council committee meeting earlier this month, MATA's new Interim C.E.O. John Lewis told the council they've made changes to the travel policy. 'We've also instituted a travel ban on non-safety certification related travel,' Lewis said. Lewis works for the outside firm TransPro. The mayor brought them in last August to look at MATA's operations after MATA's previous administration suddenly announced a $60 million dollar deficit. MATA's $60 million deficit: how did we get here? 'Too much of every dollar is spent towards unnecessary administrative functions,' Lewis told reporters. In November 2021, statements show 10 plane tickets to Orlando, Florida were booked for some of MATA's top administrators and board members. There was a transportation conference taking place there that same weekend. The total cost was around $2,200 plus around another $15,000 in hotel rooms. Ten more plane tickets were charged in March 2022. This time it was to Dallas, totaling $3,024 in flights and additional charges. Plus, there was another $13,087 in charges at the Omni Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas. Large groups seem to have also taken other trips to Portland, Nashville and Las Vegas. Sometimes, those trips came with additional charges, like more than $1,700 spent at a bowling alley in Franklin, Tennessee and almost $1,000 at a fancy steak house in Vegas. Meanwhile, Memphis buses were running late or not running at all. MATA's new leadership stressed priorities must change. 'Maximize the amount of every dollar that gets put into operations rather than administration. That's been a challenge for this agency up until now,' Lewis said. Get the latest from the WREG Investigators in your inbox Coming up tonight on News Channel 3 Wednesday at 10 p.m., we show you other interesting charges on MATA's company cards. A tobacco shop, a jewelry store and dinners. We'll tell you what else we found. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
