Elk Grove students smoking blunts, abusing SacRT bus drivers
"Our drivers are frustrated, and they are driving unsafe because they're so upset."
During the August 26 Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors meeting, there was almost one hour of public comments on non-agenda items. Many of the speakers were transit employees, many of whom were bus drivers who related stories of abusive passengers.
One of the speakers was Eve Wynn, who highlighted the abusive behavior of students riding Sac RT buses in Elk Grove.
"The issues our drivers are having are the children who ride our buses cursing at the drivers, threatening them, and smoking marijuana on our buses," she told the board of directors. "This is an ongoing issue."
Ms Wynn added, "Our drivers are frustrated, and they are driving unsafe because they're so upset."
Additionally, Ms. Wynn suggested suspending students' bus privileges, saying, "This is a safety issue."
After public comments had finished, Elk Grove's representative on the board, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, asked Wynn if the buses where drivers were being abused were operating within Elk Grove city limits. The Elk Grove Unified School District, she noted, has boundaries outside of Elk Grove city limits, implying these reported abusive students were not Elk Grove city residents.
Wynn answered the question from the audience, but her response was not audible on the meeting's video replay.
However, during her remarks, Wynn said she was a union shop steward who started with Elk Grove's previous bus service, e-Tran, 18 years ago and continues to operate in the Elk Grove division of Sac RT. Wynn's comments suggested she represents drivers operating within Elk Grove city limits.
Singh-Allen said she would contact the school board during her regular meetings regarding the abusive behavior.
