A charter school bus company that operates in Pierce and Thurston counties has settled a complaint over safety violations with state regulators.
Staff for the Utilities and Transportation Commission announced a $198,000 settlement with Ohio-based First Student Inc. on Tuesday in a news release.
The agreement came after staff filed a complaint in February, finding "new and repeated safety violations." The company operates throughout the country, including in Tacoma, Tenino and Rochester.
First Student admitted to 396 safety violations identified by UTC staff and agreed to pay $188,000 under the agreement, according to the release.
However, only $68,000 will be due immediately. The remaining $120,000 will be suspended for three years and ultimately waived if the company does not repeat any critical or acute violations during that period.
First Student also agreed to pay a previously suspended $10,000 penalty for repeated violations. The UTC fined the company $23,700 in 2019 but suspended $10,000 on the condition it met certain criteria and did not commit violations for two years.
Scott Gulbransen, a First Student spokesperson, told The Olympian, the company has been focused on fixing all violations and most of them had been quickly addressed in February.
"We very much appreciate the work we were able to do with the UTC and remain committed to the safety of all of those we transport in the area," Gulbransen said. "We've been serving Washington school districts for over 20 years and value the people and the community very much."
UTC staff conducting a routine follow-up to the 2019 investigation uncovered 634 violations of vehicle and driver safety requirements from January 2020 to April 2021. Staff labeled 396 of these violations as acute, critical or repeated.
The violations included three occasions of making fraudulent statements or record entries, 38 occasions of using a driver before the motor carrier received a negative pre-employment drug test, 209 occasions of failing to conduct required random drug testing and many more.
At the time, UTC staff recommended fining First Student up to $396,000. Staff also issued a proposed "Conditional" safety rating to the company. After the company created an acceptable corrective action plan, staff upgraded the safety rating to "Satisfactory," the best possible rating.
"I think that speaks to the work that we were able to do in conjunction with the UTC and we're happy that we were able to resolve that," Gulbransen said.
As part of the new settlement, First Student must share quarterly reports with the UTC for 18 months, detailing how it's following its corrective action plan to address the violations.
An administrative law judge will review the settlement, according to the release. The three-member Utility and Transportation Commission is not bound by the staff's agreement.
The UTC does not regulate school-to-home or home-to-school bus routes. But the commission does have regulatory authority over buses that are chartered to transport students for field trips, sporting events and other non-routine events.
In addition to servicing communities in Pierce and Thurston counties, First Student Inc. also provides services in Seattle and Vashon Island.
