Overtime costs and hours were down 45 percent and 43 percent, respectively, over the first four months of 2016, compared with the same period last year, according to a presentation to the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board.

A reduction in employee absenteeism has also led to improved service for T riders, according to the public transit agency.

Costly and controversial overtime at the MBTA has been sharply reduced in the first four months of this year, saving the T nearly $11 million, as the agency strives to become more efficient, officials announced Monday.

According to the MBTA, daily spending on overtime dropped to $112,000 a day through April of this year, compared with $202,000 a day for the same time period in 2015. The total saved over the four months was $10.8 million, according to the MBTA.


MBTA administrators recently improved oversight for employees, including mandatory management approvals of overtime and work summary reports, the MBTA said in a statement. They also track and review monthly overtime spending.

“This is a good indicator that our efforts to make the T a more efficient and productive organization are having a significant impact,” Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve said in the statement. “We will be able to invest more into the system for pay-go capital and maintenance initiatives, such as upgrading old technology and winter resiliency work on rail and signals, by controlling operating expenses and continuing on a path to a balanced budget.”

The MBTA hopes to reduce last year’s $56.3 million overtime expenses by 25 percent in 2016, according to the statement.

Unscheduled absence days for employees, including operators, went down 27 percent in the first four months of this year, the MBTA said. A new leave and attendance policy put in place this year requires employees to follow strict call-in procedures, and mandates that managers log unscheduled absences.


At the same time, the number of weekday bus trips that have been dropped has declined by 40 percent this year, according to the agency.

J.D. Capelouto can be reached at jd.capelouto@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jdcapelouto.