New Long Island Bus operator named Friday

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano is expected to announce tomorrow the private company chosen to take over Long Island Bus, the MTA-run system serving 100,000 daily riders, a high-ranking county source said Wednesday.

A five-person committee formed by Mangano last fall considered bids from three private operators -- Veolia Transportation, based in Lombard, Ill.; MV Transit, based in Fairfield, Calif.; and First Transit, based in Cincinnati. Veolia was represented locally by Manhattan-based consulting firm Park Strategies, which is owned by former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato of Island Park.

The bus system is county-owned but has been run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority since 1973.

Mangano is expected to make the announcement at a Mineola news conference, the source said. He will be joined by Mark Aesch, chief executive of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, who consulted with the county in picking a bidder.

The winning bidder will have to be approved by the County Legislature before the deal is made official.

Mangano, in his push for privatization, has said he believes a private company can operate the system more efficiently than the MTA. The transit agency, in a long-running dispute with the county, has said it needs $26 million more yearly than the $9.1 million Nassau contributes to maintain existing service.

In April, the MTA voted to formally terminate its agreement with Nassau effective Dec. 31. A private operator would take over the system on Jan. 1.

Kate Slevin, executive director of the nonprofit Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Wednesday reiterated her opposition to private operation of the county bus system, which she said could be costly to the county and will not come with the same standards and regulations in place under the MTA's operation.

"Financially, it doesn't make sense," Slevin said. "They'll have to contribute a lot more money if they want it to function even remotely like it does now."