JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three Jacksonville Transportation Authority employees were dismissed this week after a Florida Times-Union report showed that some of the city's bus drivers may not be legally allowed to drive.
The newspaper reported that JTA does not conduct criminal background checks on drivers. After drivers are hired, JTA does not check their driver's license unless there is a problem, according to the report.
The Times-Union also reported that JTA employs "dozens of drivers who had violent crime arrests as well as many who were cited for driving without a valid license."
JTA Superintendent of Transportation Charlotte Hall and Risk Manager Joseph Lewis have both resigned in the wake of the investigation, and Bus Operations Analyst Roxanne Capeheart has been dismissed from her position.
Brandi Watson and her family ride the bus all the time, but now she's nervous that some of the bus drivers may not be qualified to keep her family safe on the road.
"I don't think that should be allowed. If they can't even drive their own vehicle, I don't think they should be allowed to drive us around," Watson said.
JTA said it plans to make changes and fix the problem, but admitted that three of its managers hired people who were legally not supposed to be driving a bus.