MATA Employee Placed on Leave Amid $848,000 Mismanagement Investigation

A Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) employee has been placed on leave amid an investigation into questionable credit card purchases totaling $848,000, including a $603,000 sponsorship for the Memphis Grizzlies and various personal expenses such as spa visits and items from Best Buy and Ticketmaster. Interim CEO John Lewis revealed that many of these charges were flagged as non-business related and have been referred to the city auditor and state comptroller's office. In a related development, MATA announced that planned bus service changes set for April will not proceed, maintaining current routes and fares after it was disclosed that 20% of published bus routes were not actually available to riders. This revelation led to accusations of deliberately misleading the public, prompting calls for accountability from transit advocates. MATA will retain outside legal counsel to investigate the mismanagement and ensure transparency moving forward. The board and the Memphis Bus Riders Union have expressed frustration over the ongoing issues and demand for a permanent CEO to address the organization's governance problems.