The BART Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released the results of an investigation revealing that an emergency medical services (EMS) vendor failed to meet key contract requirements, placing unlicensed medics and understaffed emergency teams at downtown San Francisco BART stations during peak commute hours.

Despite these contract breaches, the vendor repeatedly billed BART for two licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) per shift. OIG substantiated claims that the vendor:

• Billed for EMTs when only Basic Life Support (BLS)–certified personnel were provided;
• Had only one EMT on duty for some shifts, instead of the two required;
• Failed to submit required monthly progress reports; and
• Collected a total of $57,655 in improper payments.

Under the California False Claims Act, the vendor could be liable for over $400,000 in penalties and damages.

To address these findings, the OIG recommended that BART take action to recover the overpayments, evaluate whether to pursue penalties under the False Claims Act, terminate the EMS contract due to noncompliance, consider future vendor restrictions under BART’s Suspension and Debarment Policy, and reinforce internal oversight to ensure that all contract terms are actively enforced.

Management has already initiated corrective steps, including meetings with legal counsel, issuing a repayment letter to the vendor, drafting a warning under the District’s Suspension and Debarment Policy, and preparing communications to reinforce contract enforcement expectations across departments.

We encourage you to review the summary video and full report for detailed insights:

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Thank you for your continued interest in our work. For access to all BART Office of the Inspector General reports, please visit our website at www.bart.gov/oig.

Sincerely,

Claudette Biemeret
Inspector General
Email: InspectorGeneral@bart.gov
Phone: 510-464-6141