LI Bus riders, faith leaders, advocates, and transit workers said on Monday that Nassau County should increase bus funding and reopen negotiations with the MTA about running the system. Nassau County plans to privatize LI Bus next year, but that process has been shrouded in secrecy. No official public hearings have been held on the proposal thus far, even as private firm Veolia Transportation has practically guaranteed that service cuts are on the way when it takes over. Fare hikes are on the table for next year as well, despite earlier promises that fares and service levels would be kept the same in 2012.
The event was hosted by Church in the Garden (Garden City), the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, the Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church, LI Jobs With Justice, the LI Progressive Coalition, NY Communities for Change, NYPIRG, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and Vision Long Island. Representatives from those churches and groups warned that cuts would impact the most vulnerable, as well as the county’s economy.
Sister Mary Alice Aschenbach, who works at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, said that some of her facility’s 50 employees and a third of its 300 patients relied on the bus to get to work and receive care.
Advocates said that with new leadership coming to the MTA, it made sense to reopen discussions with the agency on running the system.
“The County Executive needs to look at all options and opportunities available before taking County taxpayers down an unknown route,” said Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island. “Everything must be considered, especially since Veolia Transportation has already suggested that fare hikes and service cuts are a reality in 2012 to plug the gap in funding for the bus system.”
Nassau County plans to contribute $2.5 million to run the bus system in 2012 — a 73% cut from its contribution of $9.1 million in the 2011 budget. Even that $9.1 million is less than what Nassau has contributed in the past, and less than what Suffolk and Westchester Counties contribute to their local bus systems.
Advocates will deliver over a hundred letters against fare hikes and service cuts to county legislators this week. New York residents, especially those on Long Island, can ask the county to get back to the negotiating table through TSTC’s website.
Photos: Vision Long Island.
Mr. Ed needs to come to his senses and put his share into LIB.
[…] the feasibility of operating a bus system the size of Nassau County’s on as little as $2.5 million a year without massive service cuts and fare […]