Accenture helps fuel the MTA's engine

We New York commuters hate to hear the words MTA and deficit in the same sentence—especially when those words are accompanied by lots of zeros. For us, that inevitably means fare hikes, longer wait times, more crowded trains and, probably worst of all, grumpier fellow commuters. And if you've ever taken a New York City subway, you'll know how gloomy a picture that is.

With that darkness in sight, we're all cheering for Accenture, which was recently called in to help clean up the mess at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Chief among the consultants' responsibility will be assisting with "administrative process assessment and streamlining," and attempting "to identify delayering and efficiency and savings opportunities." Translation? Layoffs in the short term are almost a definite.

In the longer term, it looks like the MTA is trying to save some bucks by getting rid of costly outside consultants! It's currently putting together an in-house consulting group to supplant the need for outside help. Michael Chubak, an EVP at New York City Transit, and Wael Hibri, the MTA's CIO, are taking an indefinite leave from their positions to lead the new team.

I'm certain this internal consulting bit wasn't Accenture's idea, but let's hope that the firm's solutions in the near future save us some rush-hour frustration!