23 RTD Drivers Facing Charges After City Probe of DMV Records

Misdemeanor charges were filed Monday against 23 Southern California Rapid Transit District drivers who may have operated public buses last fall with lapsed or suspended driver’s licenses, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn announced at a City Hall news conference that capped a three-month investigation.

There was no evidence that any of the drivers endangered passengers or commited any other violations, Hahn said. Transit officials said all 23 now have valid licenses and remain on the job.

The significance of the criminal charges, filed in Los Angeles Municipal Court, was a matter of dispute Monday. The RTD has been under siege from escalating accusations of bad management practices, and Hahn said the alleged violations are evidence that the district is “incredibly lax” about screening its drivers.

However, the agency’s chief enforcement officer hailed the number of violations as a sign that only a few of the district’s 5,000 drivers present any problem. The number of possible violators--fewer than 1% of RTD drivers--was lower than district officials anticipated.

Start of Probe

“I don’t think the RTD has been lax,” said James Burgess, chief of Transit Police for the RTD. “I can only defend what we have done.”

Hahn began the city’s probe of driver records in September after the Los Angeles Herald Examiner reported, based on a sampling, that hundreds of drivers--one in eight that the RTD has on the road--had invalid licenses or faced warrants for failure to appear in court on traffic citations.

After a more thorough check, the RTD said the number of problem drivers was far fewer than reported--more like 1%. The numbers Hahn announced Monday seem to bear out the transit district’s version.

In all, Hahn said, investigators who pored over state Department of Motor Vehicles records found 103 RTD drivers with some kind of license or legal trouble. The 23 drivers charged Monday were the only ones who it could be proved had actually operated a bus inside the city limits of Los Angeles without a valid license, Hahn said. Two of them had their licenses suspended after drunk-driving convictions.

Those charged Monday are to receive notices in the mail requiring them to appear in Municipal Court on Jan. 22. The maximum penalty is six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The other 80 deemed not chargeable either lacked the Class 2 driver’s license required of bus drivers, had let their licenses lapse, or were properly licensed but were the subject of arrest warrants for failing to appear in court on traffic summonses, Hahn said.

Several hours after Hahn’s news conference, the RTD said that its more up-to-date records dispute even Hahn’s numbers.

The latest records show that more than half of the uncharged problem drivers named by Hahn--46 of the 80--have been on long-term medical leave and are no longer active drivers. Another 18 now have valid licenses, and seven have been fired for various reasons. A handful were in training at the time of Hahn’s record check and subsequently received their Class 2 bus driver’s licenses.

Although the licensing problem may be less severe than some believed, the ranks of RTD bus drivers are still embattled. Recent studies by various auditors and by The Times have found a high rate of on-the-job accidents among RTD drivers, widespread absenteeism and an 11% positive rate on surprise drug tests of drivers.

RTD General Manager John Dyer returned from vacation Monday to find a flurry of criticism directed his way, including calls for his departure last week from County Supervisor Mike D. Antonovich and former Rep. Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge), a longtime foe.

Through a spokesman, Dyer declined to talk to reporters Monday. He also has not decided whether to accept an invitation from Antonovich to address the Board of Supervisors Jan. 13.

The union that represents bus drivers, which earlier had tried unsuccessfully to prevent the RTD and Hahn from delving into the personal records of the drivers, on Monday denounced Hahn’s newly filed criminal charges.

Earl Clark, chairman of the United Transportation Union, said that Hahn is using the bus drivers as part of a witch hunt against the RTD.

“It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” Clark said.