Late Sunday night, the Nassau County Legislature adopted its $2.63 billion budget along party lines, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats against. Included in the budget was $2.5 million for LI Bus, which represents a 73% cut in support for the beleaguered system and less than 0.1% of the total county budget.
The adoption of this budget is a de facto vote for increased fares and service cuts. That’s because no matter who runs the system — the MTA, Veolia Transportation, or another entity — $2.5 million is wholly inadequate to operate a system the size of LI Bus without fare increases, service cuts, layoffs or an increasing the cost of doing business in Nassau County.
Still hovering over the future of LI Bus is the yet to be released secret contract between Nassau County and Veolia Transportation, which will outline what service will look like and what rate of fares riders will have to pay. Advocates and outraged citizens have taken over multiple budget hearings because of this lack of transparency and are eagerly awaiting the documents’ release to see what 2012 and beyond hold for riders, workers and all those who depend on the system.
Most observers believe that the contract will not be made public until after next week’s election, in which all seats in the County Legislature will be contested.
Watch: fares will probably double, buses will run hourly (at best), with no weekends, Metrocards will not be allowed….time to go away for good, people. Time to leave the Island we’ve called home for so long. :(
ive been living in nassau county for 45 years i pay the highest taxes in the country and i think nassau county should provide bus service for its citizens without paying more money for bus service and get a free transfer
[…] Local elections often go unnoticed, especially in an “off year” like 2011 when state and federal elections aren’t on the ballot. While this is unfortunate for many reasons, it’s particularly unfortunate because these local races often determine the direction of land use and transportation policy in the region. The majority of land use decisions are made at the local levels, and local budgets often determine the direction of transportation priorities. (See Bus, Long Island) […]