ParaTransit Driver Arrested

DelDOT STATEMENT REGARDING REPORT OF ASSAULT BY DART PARATRANSIT DRIVER
Dover -- On Monday, July 11, 2011, Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) Customer Service was contacted by the grandmother of a disabled female, reporting her granddaughter had been sexually assaulted by one of DART's New Castle County ParaTransit drivers while he was providing transit services on Thursday, July 7.

The driver accused of the assault, Ronald Elam, was suspended without pay on the day the incident was reported, as is DTC's standard security procedure. The matter was then reported by DART to Delaware State Police Troop 2 the following day, Tuesday, July 12, and was subsequently terminated. DTC's DART ParaTransit performs background checks on all drivers prior to employment and monitors driver performance on the job by using video surveillance equipment.

Surveillance video of the incident has been turned over to investigators. Elam was a four-year employee of DTC.

"Among the many responsibilities entrusted to this agency, the duty to serve the special transit needs of the most vulnerable in our society is perhaps our most serious and sensitive mission," said Shailen Bhatt, Delaware Secretary of Transportation.

"DTC is cooperating fully with the investigation and is committed to doing everything it can to protect the safety and security of those who trust us to provide ParaTransit service," said Stephen Kingsberry, DTC Executive Director.

DTC Paratransit provides transportation on request for those with qualified disabilities throughout the state of Delaware. Transportation services must be requested 24 hours in advance and the fare is $2. DTC operates 224 ParaTransit vehicles and employs approximately 230 drivers.