Rookie Who Crashed Fails RTD Drug Test

The rookie driver of a Southern California Rapid Transit District bus that overturned last week on the Hollywood Freeway, injuring 27 people, is being fired because district officials determined that she had tested positive for drug use.

RTD spokesman Marc Littman said Friday that Shirley Jean Riojas, 26, who had not yet qualified as a full-time driver, will be dismissed, but he would not disclose when or for what reason.

Two other RTD officials, however, speaking on condition they not be identified, confirmed that Riojas had submitted to a routine drug examination after the July 31 freeway accident and tested positive. The type of drug that allegedly showed up on the screening and the level detected was not revealed.

Littman also said that Riojas’ instructor, Raul Lewenberg, 37, has been suspended from that role until the accident investigation is concluded, but remains on duty as a driver.

As for Riojas, Littman said, “The decision was made today (Friday) to dismiss her. She was already suspended without pay. It’s just a matter of doing the paper work. The point is, she’s not going to come back to drive a bus again.�

One district official said that because Riojas is still a probationary employee, her alleged drug use could be considered irrelevant and she could be dismissed at the district’s will. As a trainee--Riojas was hired six weeks before the crash--she is not a member of the drivers’ union and therefore has no job protection.

Efforts to reach Riojas at home were unsuccessful. Since the accident, Riojas has been suspended without pay pending an investigation by the RTD and the California Highway Patrol.

Her firing would bring to three the number of RTD drivers dismissed in recent months after they reportedly tested positive for drug use following bus accidents. The firings, and a rash of crashes in which nearly 120 people have been injured since March 14, have focused increasing attention on the RTD’S safety practices as well as its nearly 5,000 drivers.

Four of those accidents, including two within half an hour on Thursday, occurred in the past seven days, resulting in 55 injuries, most of them minor.

Late Friday afternoon, there was another collision involving an RTD bus and a car at Hollywood Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. A Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman said four bus passengers were taken to hospitals with apparently minor injuries.

The public attention attracted by the crashes prompted Supervisor Kenneth Hahn to call an “emergency meeting� Friday with RTD General Manager John Dyer and Earl Clark, head of the United Transportation Union, which represents the district’s nearly 5,000 drivers.

Will Meet With Drivers

Facing a roomful of reporters and cameras, the three men said after the closed-door session that Clark will call “mass meetings� of his drivers to discuss the recent spate of accidents. And Dyer said he will take what he called an unprecedented step by addressing the drivers himself. The dates and locations of the meetings are still being worked out.

“I think we must restore to the drivers and to the public a new sense of confidence,� Hahn said. “I want to set as a new challenge that we will have the best and safest drivers in the nation among all bus systems, large and small.�

Clark, saying that his union is “concerned about safety and . . . drug abuse,� added, however, that he believes news coverage of the recent crashes has blown them out of proportion. He said the coverage, particularly about drug use, has tarnished the image of the drivers.

“Some of them are very minor accidents that a year ago wouldn’t even have made the newspaper,� Clark said, adding that he will tell his members that “if they know of anyone who’s using drugs, we want to know about it. We want to get rid of them as bad as the district does.�

Cites Driver Shortage

Clark also blamed some of the problems on the fact that many drivers often have to work on their days off due to a shortage of qualified drivers.

Dyer conceded that there is a shortage of drivers, but he also defended the district’s safety record. He noted that the RTD board of directors agreed Thursday to select a panel of independent safety experts to review the district’s driver training and safety measures.

“Frankly, the accident rates have been coming down for the last three years,� Dyer said. He said the district averages about 12 accidents a day, most without injuries. He described that as substantially better than some smaller municipal lines.

“I would suggest to you that, given the very congested condition that we operate under and the very heavy traffic that occurs . . . the accident rate is relatively low,� Dyer said. “I can (also) say to you, I think we can do better.�