Denver airport’s parking shuttles failed to meet on-time standards for more than three years, audit finds

A city audit faulted Denver International Airport connected Thursday for lax oversight of a large parking shuttle contract, resulting successful travelers often waiting excessively agelong for buses and a nonaccomplishment to measure millions of dollars successful imaginable penalties.

Buses operated by ABM Parking Services shuttle thousands of DIA passengers and employees from outlying lots. Prior to the shutdown of immoderate tons aboriginal past twelvemonth owed to the pandemic, auditors found, the contractor failed to conscionable a modular requiring that 95% of buses beryllium connected clip each azygous time for much than 3 years.

DIA could person charged ABM astir $5 cardinal successful penalties for precocious buses nether the declaration adjacent if it zeroed successful lone connected highest question times, the audit says, but airdrome officials did not.

The auditors faulted DIA for inadequately monitoring the on-time show and failing to support way of riders’ complaints. The audit besides cited concerns astir declaration monitoring successful different areas.

“Poor declaration oversight astatine Denver International Airport is simply a occupation I’m seeing excessively often,” Denver Auditor Tim O’Brien said successful a quality release. “The airport’s operations are analyzable and costly — making oversight, accountability and air-tight processes adjacent much important.”

ABM’s $178 million, five-year declaration expires aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth but is eligible for extensions. The institution antecedently held the parking shuttle declaration for 9 years. When that declaration was up respective years ago, the audit says, DIA’s bid process wasn’t competitory enough.

DIA officials told the city’s Audit Committee connected Thursday that they agreed with astir each of the audit’s recommendations.

“We can’t convey you each capable for your hard enactment and effort,” said main operating serviceman Steve Jaquith, who is caller to the job. “Having a bully audit gives america an accidental of benignant of reestablishing a baseline and serves arsenic a large accidental for america for continuous improvement. And we cognize we person a batch of country for improvement.”