Many bus companies that contract with New Jersey school districts did not file paperwork to prove their drivers had criminal background checks and commercial drivers’ licenses before the last school year, an investigation conducted by a state watchdog agency has found.

There were 109 school bus companies serving schools in 14 counties that had failed to submit documentation by August 31, 2024, right before the past school year started, according to the report issued Aug. 13 by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller, a governor-appointed independent watchdog agency.

That included 14 school bus companies based in Bergen County, 13 in Passaic County, two in Morris County and one in Sussex County.

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There were 20 bus companies in Essex County a

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