Last Friday, it seemed as though students who rode First Student buses in the state of Ohio might not have a way to get to school this week. The Ohio Department of Public Safety raised the issue after it concluded that the nation’s largest school bus contractor had failed to conduct proper background checks on certain drivers.
Without a quick resolution, the company would have lost its license to operate in the state. But both parties met on the issue and ironed out the wrinkles.
“It now appears the issue that the Ohio Department of Public Safety had with First Student was around the training documentation on the files of six drivers in the Miami Valley location,” said Glenda Lamont, senior vice president of corporate communications for FirstGroup America. “This issue was raised with us following an audit in August 2009, and the discrepancy was acted upon immediately.”
The background checks, which were valid at the time, have since been re-run without any issues. First Student recently audited all 800 drivers it employs in the state without any problem.
“Our background check process is the most extensive in the industry and the safety and security of the students we carry is our prime concern,” added Lamont.
The state’s DPS raised a similar red flag in 2007 after a First Student driver for Columbus Public Schools was arrested on a cocaine possession charge. The school system cancelled classes for a day after finding additional drivers with drunk driving convictions on their records. The DPS and First Student signed an agreement in late 2007 that stated the company could lose its license for up to six months if it violates any "law, statute or rule" before November 2009.