Crown withdraws charges against suspended bus company
Kelloway Investments Ltd. cleared, but inspection station operator still facing 58 charges
A St. John’s busing company that was facing a fleet of charges under the province’s Highway Traffic Act has seen all those charges dropped.
In provincial court on Wednesday morning, the Crown officially withdrew 58 charges against Kelloway Investments Ltd.
Crown prosecutor Jude Hall told The Telegram that the charges were withdrawn because there was no reasonable probability of conviction.
Last January, the Department of Highways Enforcement, a division of Service NL, laid 58 charges against the company for displaying a vehicle inspection certificate that was issued without a proper inspection being carried out.
The charges came days after the Newfoundland and Labrador Eastern School District suspended Kelloway Investments’ contract due to safety concerns, forcing parents of about 3,500 students at 22 metro area schools to find alternative transportation. Some of the issues identified for the buses that were removed from service include problems with brakes, steering and emergency exits, a statement accompanying the inspection reports stated.
While Kelloway might be in the clear, the inspection station operator responsible for issuing the certificate, named in court documents as Janet Jones, is still facing 58 charges of issuing a vehicle inspection certificate without a proper inspection being carried out. The case is set over to Feb. 7 for sentencing.