School bus drivers caught running red lights raises concerns from West Ashley parents

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCIV) — For the past two weeks, a News 4 team has been monitoring an intersection on Glenn McConnell Parkway after a tip came in saying that school buses have been seen consistently running red lights.

The intersection of Glenn McConnell Parkway and W Wild Cat Boulevard leads to West Ashley High School, so parents are concerned about their children's' safety. Our team was able to catch several school buses on camera running a red light.

"I mean they're not obeying a traffic light. They're going through a red light with our kids. We don't do that," Kaloni Chaney, a mother of three kids in West Ashley, said. "Like you showed me in the last part, I mean, there was plenty of time to stop. And it makes it worse because more cars, more other cars go next to them, because they're shielded. They think, 'oh,' they're going, 'I'm gonna go.' So it's just perpetuating a big problem."

Cheney says she sees a school bus run this red light on the intersection weekly, which makes her wonder if anyone is holding drivers accountable.

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"I mean, what can you do? You just watch and go, 'oh, great. My kid's on that bus.' You know, you call, you let them know you can go on the First-View App," continued Chaney. " You can report that way, but nothing really, nothing typically comes back to you when it comes to these bus problems that have been going on over here."

Our team showed the video to another West Ashley mom, and it made her question what training bus drivers go through.

"I think it's really just slowing down and maybe, just maybe, a little training with the bus drivers," Ashley Inabinett, a mother of four in West Ashley, said. "Just to make sure that they are fully aware of the job that they're doing, and keeping the children's interest in, or safety in mind."

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Charleston County School District bus drivers are employed through the company First Student, and on their website, the company notes "student safety is a priority" several times. We asked them how they were handling the drivers who put students at risk on the road and they responded with the following statement:

The Charleston County School District notified us of a report that a school bus did not stop at a traffic light on Glenn McConnell Parkway near West Ashley High School. We reviewed the information with CCSD and have addressed it with all drivers who drop off and pick up students at the school.

Parents hope to see change before it's too late.

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"Maybe make sure you don't hurt somebody's kids or your own, or yourself. Take your time. It's not worth it," Chaney said. "They just built a big, beautiful intersection. You know, traffic's moving better. It's moving better when there's no accidents, so don't cause one."

The Charleston Police Department said they have not been alerted of this problem, but said it's a $180 fine and 4 points against your license for running a red light. News 4 has also submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the number of red light tickets given out to Charleston School bus drivers over the past few years, and are still waiting on those numbers.