His father, Drasutis Antanas "Tony" Grabauskas, was a native of Lithuania who emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1949 and died in 2010.

At the time of his appointment, the agency was described by the Boston Globe as "plagued with long lines and charges of mismanagement" and was considered a political liability after series of articles in the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune detailed the interminable waits at the Registry.

[6] During his tenure as Transportation Secretary, the department employed a "fix it first" strategy" which prioritized repairs to existing infrastructure over the construction of new ones.

The plan directed that at least 75 percent of all new capital spending be focused toward maintaining and improving the state's existing transportation network with these funds dedicated to bridge repair, highway reconstruction, de-bottlenecking, intersection and interchange modernization and ensuring a transit system that is in a state of good repair.

The plan also included limited transit expansions, prioritizing projects that earn federal dollars, win community support and encourage local contribution.

During his four-plus years as General Manager, the MBTA switched its payment method from tokens to the CharlieCard,[20] construction on the Greenbush Line was completed,[21] and WiFi service was installed on commuter rail trains and boats.

[26] It was also criticized by Democrats Thomas Menino and Steven Baddour, with the latter describing it as "trying to settle a political score at taxpayers' expense".

[27][28] In March 2012 Grabauskas was named Executive Director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) after he and the HART board of directors agreed on a three-year contract that includes an annual base salary of $245,000, a $36,000 a year housing allowance, a transportation allowance of $6,000 a year, and a potential $35,000 annual performance bonus.