Logy Bay mom says Kelloway busing took advantage of trusting parents, put kids at risk

A mother of three from Logy Bay saidshe no longer trusts the school bussystem after hearing news that the company transporting her kids was charged with displaying fake inspection certificates.

Buses owned by operatorJames Kellowaywere hauled off the roads last week after several buses failed inspections. The company is facing more than 50 Highway Traffic Act charges.

Then, another company owned by Kelloway'ssister was charged with issuing fake certificatesto be displayed in buses owned by Kelloway's Investments.

Furious and disappointed

Ashley Politisaid when she first heard Kelloway buses had been taken off the road, she felt the school board was being needlessly harsh. She gaveJames Kelloway the benefit of the doubt at firstwhen he went to the media claming to that he was being treated unfairly.

When you take that trust away, it's hard to get it back.- Ashley Politi

However, after hearing about the falsified inspection allegations, Politisaid she has no sympathy for him at all.

"He says he was railroaded by the school board, and at first I was one of those parents who believed him," she told the St. John's Morning Show. "But in the end he's the one who railroaded the parents and his bus drivers.

"He took advantage of the kids being onthe bus without inspections being done, and he was able to do it in a way that he was able to get away with it for such a long time I don't even think it bothered him."

The bus stop that Politi's kids use has about 10 students on an average morning, and shesaid she and other parents had noticed problems with the bus early in the school year.

"There was literally smoke coming out of it one morning," she said. "There was a really bad burning smell, we were told it was the brakes."

After being told there was nothing to worry about, shenow wonders whether her kids really were in danger.

Trust eroded

Politisaid she was happy to see the school district is getting stricter with operators and takingsteps to stop them from running unsafe buses.

Despite that, Politi'shusband is now driving the kids to school. She said that will continue until she is reassured fake inspections are no longer possible.

"Obviously bus companies are getting away with having these false inspections done, this isn't the first company this year," she said.

"When you take that trust away, it's hard to get it back."