Posted on 03/21/2007 6:11:32 AM PDT by Calpernia
Five days after a Trenton elementary school student was left alone on a parked school bus during a winter storm, Hamilton Police haven't decided whether to charge the driver who left him there. The boy, 6, was found wandering Trenton, cold and crying, Friday afternoon by a passer-by and brought to safety. The 53 year old driver could face endangerment charges, but it remains unclear if she will face any punishment at all. Her employer, the Delaware Valley Bus Company, refuses to even entertain questions about her status.
Millennium Radio's calls to the bus company were angrily hung up on Tuesday.
Soon, no New Jersey school bus driver may be able to get away with abandoning a child on a parked bus. A bill that has passed both houses of the State Legislature would strip a driver of his license for six months for a first offense, and permanently for a second. It awaits Governor Corzine's signature.
In our state (all states?), bus drivers are require to walk through the bus to check for passengers before they leave the bus.
Our bus drivers are required to also. They don't though. I'm listening to the local radio covering this incident now. They have averaged out the incidents of children being left on the bus for the year and came back with an average of one student per week being abandoned on the buses.
bump
Thanks for the heads up Calpernia.
Wondering what could be so difficult for a bus driver to simply walk the bus if nothing else with concern for children's well being. It makes no sense that a child could possibly be left abandoned on a bus.
http://www.nj1015.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=6125&z=1
Mercer County Prosecutor's Office Reviewing Case Of Forgetful Bus Driver
The Mercer County prosecutor's office is reviewing the case of a 53 year old bus driver who left a Trenton elementary schooler alone for several hours aboard a parked bus in last Friday's snow storm. Investigators will eventually recommend to Hamilton Township Police whether to charge the woman with endangerment.
In 2005, A Delaware Valley Bus Line driver left a special needs 2nd grader from Trenton alone aboard a parked bus. No charges were filed after the prosecutor's office reviewed the case.
Meantime, the driver in this more recent case may still be driving buses. The bus company refuses to provide any information as to whether she has faced company discipline for her gaffe.
The six year old boy was spotted by a passer-by Friday evening during the storm. He was crying and cold walking alone in Trenton. He's now okay.
http://www.nj1015.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=6134&z=1
Exclusive: School Bus Company Hit With Safety Violations In Surprise Inspection
By: Martin Di Caro
Friday, March 23, 2007
During a suprise inspection at a Hamilton school bus depot, a New Jersey State Police and Motor Vehicle Commission task force failed several buses belonging to the Delaware Valley Bus Line for "serious safety issues" last Friday, Millennium Radio has learned. Coincidentally, that was the same day a Delaware Valley driver left a six year old elementary school student who had fallen asleep alone aboard a parked bus during a winter storm. Delaware Valley serves the Trenton, Hamilton, Ewing and Lawrence school districts in Mercer County and the Upper Freehold Regional District in Monmouth County.
MVC officials exclusively told Millennium Radio the surprise inspection was prompted by parents' complaints concerning the condition of their kids' buses and the MVC's own concerns stemming from a routinely scheduled inspection in mid-January. During the January inspection, 46 of 49 company school buses were failed for minor and more serious infractions. Almost all of the buses were given a "thumbs-up" upon reinspection, however, the MVC believed the high failure rate would warrant an unannounced inspection at a later date.
"From our last inspection of the company, we still had some lingering concerns," said MVC spokesman Michael Horan. In addition to the 13 buses which were placed out of service last Friday, Horan said inspectors found 20 record keeping violations at Delaware Valley's offices. "Driver records, daily maintenance records, anything associated with the upkeep of the vehicles that are under contract with the company," said Horan. "Obviously, that's alarming for us. That's the whole reason we went out there. These were vehicles that were in fact being used."
The MVC and New Jersey State Police conduct more than 78,000 school bus inspections and reinspections annually. Horan said 40% of school buses are put out-of-service upon initial inspections and 30% are given a lesser 30-day violation. Horan added that 91% of buses are passed upon reinspection. The Delaware Valley Bus Line's out-of-service failure rate from last Friday's suprise inspection was 86%.
The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office continues to review the case of a 53 year old bus driver who left the student alone aboard her bus in last Friday's snow storm. Investigators will eventually recommend to Hamilton Township Police whether to charge the woman with endangerment. In 2005, A Delaware Valley Bus Line driver left a special needs 2nd grader from Trenton alone aboard a parked bus. No charges were filed after the prosecutor's office reviewed the case.
Millennium Radio contacted the Delaware Valley Bus Line's offices for this story, but once again our calls were hung up on.
You can search for the MVC's report card of the Delaware Valley Bus Line and check the inspection report of your own child's school bus in any New Jersey school district at www.state.nj.us/MVC_BIS_WEB/BISProcessingServlet
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