NY State bus driver crackdown, which has been going on since the March 12 fatal Bronx bus crash, has now caught city school bus drivers. According to WABC 7, "The men, drivers in Queens, had reportedly been driving with suspended licenses, in one instance for more than 15 years. They were picked up by detectives with the Queens District Attorney's Office for obtaining new licenses by submitting false names and different dates of birth and social security numbers to the Department of Motor Vehicles."
One of the men, Mel Marion, was arrested during his route: "Investigators located him by using his bus' GPS system. He had picked up one special needs child and was on the way to pick up more." The Department of Education, which says that Marion works for a contracted bus operator, says he was suspended without pay. The other arrestee, George Gonsalves, is currently not employed by a commercial bus company.
Apparently the men were flagged by facial recognition technology that tracks people who get licenses with other names. Marion's license had been suspended since 2005, and he also had a summons. Gonsalves' license was suspended since 1996 for failing to pay a fine.
Governor Cuomo said, "Millions of New Yorkers use buses every year, and should be able to have confidence in the safety of the system. The DMV and other state agencies are coordinating efforts with local law enforcement and using the latest technology to make our roads and highways safer. I applaud them for their swift actions."
