The Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Regional Plan Association are following up on the successful Westchester County regional bus forum and holding a forum on how regional bus would affect Nassau County on March 6 at 8:30 am, at Hofstra University’s Guthart Cultural Center (click for map). Speakers and panelists include Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, State Assemblymembers Michelle Schimel and Dave McDonough, and bus rapid transit expert Walter Hook of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. Breakfast will be served.

Regional bus is one of the recommendations in the Ravitch Commission’s report on funding and reforming the MTA. While some of the Ravitch funding recommendations, such as a payroll tax, have received significant public attention, regional bus has not.

As proposed in the Ravitch report and described by MTA officials, Nassau’s Long Island Bus and Westchester’s Bee-Line would be consolidated into a new MTA Regional Bus Authority and the MTA would assume financial responsibility for running both systems.

The new structure could streamline operations and end annual feuds between the counties, state and MTA over funding the systems, allowing Long Island Bus to more quickly expand, upgrade, and maintain its system. The forum will address this potential, along with the management, labor and funding issues that would need to be overcome to make it a reality.

A regional bus authority could also accelerate the creation of a 21st-century bus system including more innovative routes like the successful Select Bus Service in the Bronx. Walter Hook will give a presentation describing successful BRT systems from around the world.

The program agenda is after the jump. Space is now extremely limited, so please RSVP by the end of today, February 27. Regional Plan Association is handling RSVPs at this web form.

March 6, Hofstra University, Guthart Cultural Center, 8:30am

8:30 AM: Breakfast and Registration.

9:00 AM: Welcome. Lawrence Levy, Director, National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University.

9:05 AM: Opening Remarks: County Executive Thomas Suozzi, Richard Ravitch (invited).

9:30-10:15 AM: Long Island Bus: Current Challenges and Opportunities. Moderator: Robert Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association. Joseph Smith, Long Island Bus (invited); Ed Watt, Transit Workers Union Local 100 (invited);Kate Slevin, Tri-State Transportation Campaign; Chris Jones, Regional Plan Association.

10:15-10:30 AM: Break

10:30-11:15 AM: What Does 21st Century Bus Service Look Like? An Overview of Bus Rapid Transit. Walter Hook, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

11:15-12:15 PM: Elected Official Response Panel. Moderator: Kate Slevin, Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Hon. Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (invited), Hon. Craig Johnson (invited), Hon. Dave McDonough, Hon. Michelle Schimel, Hon. Dean Skelos (invited).