Rules panel OKs Veolia's LI Bus contract

A key Nassau legislative committee Monday approved the county's controversial plan to privatize the operation of Long Island Bus, clearing the way for a full vote by the county legislature.

Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa), in a move that took Democratic lawmakers by surprise, said he is considering holding that vote -- now scheduled for Dec. 19 -- on Dec. 5, after the county hosts a public hearing that day on the plan.

Monday afternoon, the seven-member Rules Committee voted 4-3 along party lines to approve the contract hiring Veolia Transportation to run the county's bus system, to be known as Nassau Inter-County Express Bus, or NICE Bus.

The panel's four Republicans voted in favor while the three Democratic members voted against, saying the contract has been pushed through without enough involvement or input from them or the public.

Veolia Transportation, based in Lombard, Ill., is set to take over the bus system, which is currently run by the MTA and serves 100,000 weekday riders, on Jan. 1.

Dec. 5 is the earliest the legislature could legally vote on the plan. Schmitt said he would call for a vote as soon as 10 legislators -- the needed majority -- are ready to vote.

The legislature has an 11-8 Republican majority.

"There's no purpose delaying it any further," Schmitt said. "The sooner we get to it, the better we'd be."

Democrats and some public speakers said it would be "irresponsible" for the legislature to decide on the contract without time to address issues brought up at the public hearing.

"The possibility of a vote on the same day as a hearing, to me, is unconscionable," Legis. Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) said. "The bus rider and the taxpayer deserve a better process."

County Executive Edward Mangano has said Veolia will run the system more efficiently and better than the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the operator since 1973.

Opponents say a profit-driven private company could seek to raise fares and cut service.

In a report released Monday, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit transit advocacy group, raised questions about the proposed contract, including why Veolia has "ultimate authority" to decide service levels and how riders will be protected from service cuts and fare hikes if revenue falls short of projections.

Incoming NICE Bus chief operating officer Michael Setzer, in a recent statement, disputed any assertion that the contract gives Veolia too much control.

Nassau will have far more say about its bus system than it has under the MTA, he said, including through a newly formed transit committee of Nassau residents.

Setzer said Veolia will have "little discretion" over service changes and that only the least-used bus lines may be cut. The contract provides financial incentives for Veolia to run as many buses as possible, he said.

"There is significant oversight, control, and checks and balances for the county, at many levels," Setzer said in his statement. "The future of the transit system is now clearly in the hands of the county."