Legislator Francis Becker (R-Lynbrook) has called upon Nassau County’s bus operator to bring proposed cuts to the Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) Bus before the Transit Advisory Committee (TAC), a body that can approve or deny proposed changes to the system. This came after calls from advocates earlier in the week.
The contract between Veolia and Nassau County requires that the TAC review any service change that cuts a route by more than 25%, but NICE has repeatedly stonewalled advocates’ requests for detailed statistics on ridership impacts and the percentage of hours to be cut.
Although NICE officials have portrayed the cuts as “minor adjustments,” what little data they have released shows three routes with reductions of over 20% in weekday or Saturday service.
- N16: 24.2% reduction in weekday service
- N45: 16.4% reduction in weekday service; 22.2% reduction in Saturday service
- N73/74: 21.1% reduction in weekday service
In testimony before the legislature on Monday, Charlene Obernauer of the Long Island Bus Riders Union said that some route cuts would force riders to transfer more than once, which would lead to a de facto fare hike.
“Re-routing plans that increase the numbers of transfers not only makes the bus system less convenient, but it forces riders who have to transfer three times to pay an additional $2.25 to get to one destination,” she said.
According to Newsday, Veolia Transportation CEO Michael Setzer has said that the transfer issue will impact a “very small” number of people, but it amounts to an additional $4.50 per round trip. Federal law holds that such an increase should trigger a fare equity analysis.
Until further details are known, including whether local service will be maintained after the implementation of new express services, Becker is right to call for more information and a hearing, even if Veolia is not required to do so under the contract. Doing so would be, in Becker’s words, an act of “good faith.”
Not doing so undermines one of the key selling points made during the push to privatize Nassau’s bus system: increased oversight and transparency.
Oh no! A reduction in the amount of empty buses driving around Nassau, oh the humanity! No explanation is needed, use your eyes and watch the N45 and N73/N74. The n16 reduction is a smart move, it will be replaced by N43 trips to Hempstead every modification isn’t bad.
[…] Nassau’s Bus System Is Less Transparent With MTA Gone and Veolia Corp in Charge (MTR) […]
I currently take the N21 bus from Great Neck to Glen Cove on the weekends to visit a friend who is in a nursing home. I get off at the last stop (Pratt Blvd) and then take a taxi. I found out that the N21 to Glen Cove is going to be DISCONTINUED completely as of April 8, 2012 and is only going to run during rush hour during the week. It was explained to me at the hearing that I attended at the Great Neck Library that on the weekends I would have to take the N20 to Northern Blvd. and Glen Cove Rd. and then transfer to the N27 to get to Pratt Blvd. in Glen Cove. When I stated to the Veolia representative that this was a significant route cut, he said that the company considered the N20 and N21 the same route! Howcan they be considered the same route when one goes to Hicksville and one goes to Glen Cove??
[…] Bus—Despite calls from advocates and elected officials to bring planned route cuts before the Transit Advisory Committee (which has the power to approve […]
[…] that reconfigured their bus service (on April 8, NICE Bus implemented significant service changes, reducing weekday service by over 20% on some routes and eliminating entire days of service outright on others). Among surveyed n6/n6x bus riders, 53% […]
[…] to NICE) in estimated new revenue should be used to restore some of the $7.3 million in April 2012 service cuts or expand and enhance service on higher-ridership routes. January 15th, 2013 | Category: Long […]
[…] bus stop along the route that was removed when the Nassau Inter-County Express bus system made service cuts in April […]