Riders anxious about NICE Bus changes

Bus riders kept an open mind as they got their first look Wednesday at NICE Bus' plan to redesign Nassau's transit system by April.

At a community meeting in Uniondale Wednesday night, officials with Veolia Transportation explained their plan for widespread "service adjustments" that would affect most of NICE Bus' routes and close a projected $7.3 million budget gap. This would be accomplished with service reductions on 30 lines, some redrawn routes -- as well as several improvements.

The improvements include the creation of two express bus routes to and from Queens, the restoration of bus service to Jones Beach and to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, better coordination with the Long Island Rail Road, and longer service hours and additional buses on some popular routes.

"These adjustments are not just cuts," NICE Bus vice president Rahul Kumar told a packed room of more than 50 people at the community meeting. "What we're trying to do is to put in as many improvements as we possibly can."

A far cry from the outrage and anger that dominated public meetings about the bus system last year, most of the audience at Wednesday night's meeting appeared willing to give Veolia's plan a chance to work. Riders met one-on-one with Veolia officials to ask questions and offer suggestions on their routes.

"I wish they'd just leave it the way it is," said Johnny Briggs, 48, of Glen Cove, who worried about the proposed reductions on his route, the N27, but said he understood why they were necessary. "The way the economy is going right now, everybody's got to make changes."

Many riders may only notice the cuts, which will force them to wait longer for a bus, transfer more frequently and, in a few cases, lose their ride altogether. Six lines will lose service during middays, and two will lose service on Saturdays.

"Waiting for a bus for an hour when you have to go to work, you have to change your whole life," said Mimi Pierre Johnson, a bus rider and spokeswoman for New York Communities for Change. "I think the riders and NICE Bus got a raw deal from the county."

Nassau, which owns the bus system, decided last year to hire Veolia to take over operations from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which ran it for 37 years. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has said he believes Veolia can run the system, which carries 100,000 daily riders, more efficiently and at a lower cost to taxpayers.

NICE Bus chief executive Michael Setzer said Wednesday night's community meeting, and another Thursday night at the Great Neck Library, are opportunities to get feedback and suggestions from riders before the changes are finalized. The changes take effect April 8.

"I think people are concerned, but they are receptive," NICE Bus chief executive Michael Setzer said. "Nobody's yelling. They're listening."

Still, throughout the NICE Bus system Wednesday, riders expressed anguish over the proposed cuts. For Chalis Crews, who rides the N51 every day to see a chiropractor in Bellmore, losing her bus on Saturdays means a day of back pain.

"I need my bus," said Crews, 25, of Freeport, as she got off the bus Wednesday near the Bellmore LIRR station. "That's my only transportation right now."

Others who will benefit from Veolia's plan were more positive about the changes. Leon Khedaroo, 68, said a proposed N6X express bus could save him as much as a half-hour when he travels from home in Hempstead to Jamaica.

"That would be an excellent thing," Khedaroo said.