WETHERSFIELD, Conn. – A new online system will allow school bus operators to check on whether their drivers have had their privileges suspended or revoked.
The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) new Website also applies to other providers of public transportation, such as taxi companies. The list of suspended drivers will be updated weekly.
DMV Commissioner Robert Ward said that the system will give transportation companies important information on drivers “without waiting for paperwork or phone calls from a state agency.”
Ward said that transportation providers might want to check all of their drivers once and then monitor the new names each week to check for matches. The DMV informs drivers if their license becomes suspended, but it doesn’t notify their employer.
Earlier this year, the DMV imposed more stringent background checks for school bus drivers. The action followed an incident in October in which a school bus driver with cocaine in his system struck and killed a pedestrian. The bus driver had a criminal record that should have prevented him from becoming licensed.
The new Website is free to use and is available to public and private organizations in the state that provide public transportation. However, these organizations must first register by sending on letterhead an official request for review to: The Department of Motor Vehicles, Driver Services Division, 60 State St., Wethersfield, CT 06161.
