RTD Will Study DMV Files of Its Bus Drivers

Buffeted by new allegations of problems among its drivers, Southern California Rapid Transit District officials Saturday said driving records of all bus operators will be scrutinized as quickly as possible. The RTD board also agreed to explore ways to discipline drivers who commit serious traffic violations, even if they occur off-duty.

Although not a scheduled topic of discussion, criticism of how the huge transit agency has monitored the driving records of its bus operators dominated an informal board workshop on the Metro Rail commuter project.

News reports Friday alleged that a breakdown in RTD’s tracking of its drivers’ records had allowed hundreds of bus operators to work with suspended or expired licenses, outstanding traffic warrants or no license at all. The Herald Examiner, after checking 450 drivers’ records, charged that one out eight RTD bus operators on the road have such problems.

RTD General Manager John Dyer told the board Saturday that “we are unable to verify that data” because the transit agency has been unable to accurately check its drivers’ records with the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Safety concerns prompted the district recently to test its so-called “flagging” system with DMV, which is supposed to automatically report to the RTD any change in a driver’s record.

In a random cross-check of 49 drivers, nearly one-third could not be located in the DMV computer, Dyer said.

In the next few weeks, a new computer program developed with the DMV should permit a detailed analysis of all 4,600 active drivers’ records, as well as those of 460 others on extended leave, Dyer said.

But RTD managers believe the number of drivers working with expired or suspended licenses is actually quite low, Dyer said. Supervisors demanded to see the licenses of all working drivers on Friday, and out of more than 2,000 only three had expired, he said. Thirty-eight drivers were not carrying current certificates of medical fitness, as required by the district, he added.

“Every bus on the street today” has a driver with a valid license, Dyer told the board, although he acknowledged later that some could have a license on which driving privileges were suspended.

As for poor driving records, state law and the district’s contract with the drivers severely limits actions that can be taken against drivers when violations occur off-duty, Dyer said. Even if a driver’s regular license is suspended for drunk driving, a judge often will maintain his bus-driving privileges so he can continue to work, Dyer said.

Some board members, commenting on the public scrutiny the district has been undergoing in the wake of a rash of accidents and revelations of drug abuse and other problems among drivers, said more has to be done to restore faith in the transit system, which carries 1.4 million riders a day.

“This board and the public need to have confidence (that) we are not helpless in the face of violations” by drivers, said board member Leonard Panish.

The board ordered Dyer to develop recommendations for changes in state law and the drivers’ contract, which would have to be negotiated with the union, to permit the board to discipline operators who commit serious off-duty violations.

Board member Nate Holden, an appointee of county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, was the most critical of the RTD, saying staff should not have “waited until a crisis” to delve into the problems of tracking drivers’ DMV records.

On Friday, Hahn criticized Dyer for spending too much of his time trying to get the Metro Rail project started, claiming it was causing problems for the bus system. Dyer responded Saturday that he spends about one-third of his time on Metro Rail.