Washington state regulators have fined a Cincinnati-based charter school bus company nearly 24 thousand dollars for safety violations.
Investigators found more than 150 violations of state and federal transportation safety law following a routine inspection of First Student in February. The violations include 99 cases of failing to require drivers to prepare vehicle inspection reports and 44 cases of using drivers without pre-employment drug tests. The state has denied the company's request for mitigation, but it has agreed to suspend a portion of the fine if First Student meets safety requirements. Columbus City Schools in 2012 ended a contract with the company after the distict decided to handle bussing on its own.
