11% of RTD Bus Drivers Given Tests Used Drugs

Drugs were found in about 11% of the Southern California Rapid Transit District bus drivers tested in the first year of a stepped-up anti-drug abuse program.

Figures from tests of about 3,000 of the huge bus system’s 5,000 drivers showed that marijuana was by far the drug used most, although cocaine and PCP were also used.

RTD officials and driver representatives said Tuesday that the figures, which reflect the results of a drug-testing program adopted last September, confirm a drug-abuse problem among drivers. But they claimed that progress is being made and cited a general downward trend in the numbers--only 4.5% of the drivers tested last month were found to have used drugs compared to 21% in the first two months of the program last year.

Both sets of figures are within the comparable ranges reported by large California employers who have instituted drug testing programs.

“I’m concerned,” said RTD Board President Jan Hall. “But it is obvious we are actively pursuing an aggressive drug testing program (and) our figures are going down.”

Rash of Accidents

Drug abuse among drivers flared as an issue after a rash of accidents this year that injured more than 100 passengers. Drivers involved in at least three of the accidents were fired after testing positive for drugs, although one was subsequently reinstated.

About 65 RTD employees, including about 60 drivers, have resigned or been fired in the last year after testing positive for drugs.

While comparable figures in other cities are not available for bus drivers alone, tests elsewhere have been conducted among all transit employees. Using all employees as a measure, it appears that RTD drug problems may be on the high side of some other large transit agencies. For example, only 2.6% of about 12,200 New York Transit Authority employees tested last year were found to have drugs in their systems. At the RTD, the rate was about 11% for all employees tested, including mechanics and clerical workers.

In Washington last year, between 5% and 8% of the employees ordered to take tests after being involved in bus and subway accidents or other incidents at work were found to have drugs in their systems. Most of those were vehicle operators, said a Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesman.

The RTD figures show about 10% of the drivers tested after being involved in accidents had positive results.

While last month’s 4.5% figure showed a sharp drop in the number drivers who tested positive, it is not clear if that will hold. The rate has bumped up and down between 7% and 15% for most of the year.

RTD officials suggested the latest numbers have dropped because drivers are feeling the pressure of media attention and tougher policies.

Union representatives say they too are encouraged by the statistics. They also cited an increase in the number of employees voluntarily entering the district’s drug rehabilitation program. The drug and alcohol abuse program currently has 25 to 40 employees regularly enrolled, up from 16 before the drug testing program started.

“There’s no doubt that when we started (the testing) program, we had a problem,” said Earl Clark, general chairman of the the drivers union. However, he added, “I think the drug campaign is working.”

“The drivers are voluntarily cleaning themselves up and the facts and figures show that,” he said.

“I think you’re going to find that in another six months, RTD is going to be way ahead of every transit district in the country in tackling the drug problem,” Clark said.

RTD officials noted the current figures are based on a previous drug testing policy that called for testing after accidents involving injuries or a minimum $2,000 in damage, during regular physical examinations and for employees who exhibited suspicious behavior.

The new policy, intended in part to reassure the 1.3 million boarders a day that the district is serious about curbing drug use, gets tougher by allowing testing of employees who repeatedly are absent, tardy or involved in less severe accidents. It takes effect next month and could increase the number of employees tested.