The Westmoreland County Transit Authority board has eliminated a requirement for members of the agency’s administrative team to be subjected to random drug testing.

The board signed off on a request after officials said the requirement was unnecessary. Its elimination also could save money, officials said.

“No one has ever tested positive,” Executive Director Alan Blahovec said.

Authority personnel policy has required the random testing of at least three employees every four months.

The number of authority employees dramatically increased in early 2020 after the agency took over operation of its fixed route local and commuter bus service and shared-ride paratransit programs. Before 2020, the authority served as a strictly administrative agency with about a dozen employees and contracted out to private companies for driving and repair duties of its buses and other passenger vehicles.

The authority now has about 130 employees, including about 15 who work in administrative roles.

It is the administrative employees, including Blahovec, who will be exempt from random drug testing.

“We only do random testing when it involves safety issues. There is no reason to randomly test for nonsafety employees,” Blahovec said.

The authority operates a fleet of 41 buses that run 16 daily routes. Ridership on the fixed-route service cratered in 2020 after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic but since has shown signs of rebounding. Bus ridership has increased by about 25% over the past year, according to deputy director Ashley Cooper-Brounce.

Meanwhile, the authority shared-ride service, door-to-door service for low income, elderly and disabled passengers, also has shown increases, having grown by about 24% since last September. That service operates with about 60 smaller passenger buses and vehicles.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)