NJ Company Used Unqualified School Bus Drivers In Newark: ECPO – Newark, NJ Patch

NEWARK, NJ — A Paterson-based school bus company has been accused of using drivers with open arrest warrants and without proper credentials in Newark, authorities said.

Last week, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office carried out safety inspections at five Newark schools served by A-1 Elegant as part of an ongoing investigation into school bus safety in the city.

During their visits on May 31, inspectors found that eight bus drivers – more than half of those detained – didn’t have proper credentials to drive school children. In addition, two bus drivers and an aide had open warrants and were taken into police custody, prosecutors said.

Buses were intercepted after children were dropped off to minimize the disruption of the school day. No children were harmed, although in some instances alternative transportation had to be provided to the children at the end of the day, prosecutors said.

The ECPO also executed search warrants at the business offices of A-1 Elegant in Paterson.

The company contracts to transport children to school in Newark as well as other parts of the state. It’s faced controversy over its service in Paterson, where the local school district issued more than 100 violations against the company during the 2017-18 school year, including problems with the credentials of its drivers, NorthJersey.com reported.

An investigation is ongoing and involves the ECPO, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission and the Newark Police Department.

Patch reached out to Newark school officials for comment on the investigation. We’ll update this article with any reply we receive.

Last week’s inspections come after a bus operated by another company, East Orange-based F&A Transport, crashed with a dozen children aboard in Newark in February. No children were hurt in the accident, authorities said.

The owner of F&A Transport said the driver in that case – who was only qualified as an aide – “made unauthorized use of the vehicle.” She was eventually arrested and charged with driving while impaired, although some people have since questioned police allegations that she was on drugs at the time of the crash.

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