HOPEWELL, Va. β A Hopewell woman is questioning the safety of a new school transportation system after an unmarked car arrived to pick up her special needs niece Monday morning.
Tammy Richardson said she saw an unmarked car stop in front of her home before school Monday, so she went outside to speak to the driver.
When she asked who they were, she became concerned about the lack of identification.
"They're telling me they're here to pick her up. I'm like, wait a minute. I need to see some kind of identification, for the company you're working with, something," Richardson said. "I'm just not going to put my child in a vehicle and not know who I'm putting her with."
The unmarked car, with no government license like the Hopewell School System uses, set off red flags for Richardson.
"I don't know if he's vetted. I don't know what his record is. I don't know who he is," she said.
Richardson says her 10-year-old niece is on a kindergarten grade level due to severe behavioral issues.
"With her having special needs and the problems she has, I don't expect a civilian to handle the issues she has, especially when they are not trained," Richardson said.
Richardson says Hopewell Schools has picked up and transported the child for years without issue.
She said she was told Friday that a new transportation system would be in place moving forward and expected more than an unmarked car.
"I expected some type of van to pull up. Some type of markings. Some identification," she said.
CBS 6 senior reporter Wayne Covil reached out to Hopewell Public Schools with Richardson's concerns. The school system replied with a written statement that said, in part:
"Due to a shortage of drivers, [Hopewell Schools] recently contracted with 'EverDriven', a third party for specialized transportation requests, requiring either a car or van. The parent this case was aware of this, but was apparently uncomfortable today with the car being 'unmarked' and the driver's limited English usage."
Richardson says her confusion could have been prevented with a better explanation from the school system about the change.
"If you are going to go with a different company, then I want proof it's going to be one person, and not five or six different people," she said. "I waited. I want to know they have been screened and I want to know they are capable of handling my child's needs."
Covil reached out to EverDriven multiple times on Monday to ask about the use of unmarked cars and Richardson's other concerns. He is still waiting on a reply.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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