Three companies submit bids to take over LI Bus

Three private bus companies have placed bids to run the day-to-day operations of Long Island Bus, which is on the block because of a funding battle between Nassau and the MTA, county officials said Friday.

Fairfield, Calif.-based MV Transit, Cincinnati-based First Transit and Lombard, Ill.-based Veolia Transportation have submitted proposals to become the new operator of LI Bus.

The bus system, which serves about 100,000 riders daily, is owned by Nassau County but has been run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for nearly 40 years.

The MTA has said it will no longer make up for a funding gap left by Nassau, which contributes $9.1 million to LI Bus' $133-million budget.

An end to the regional transit agency's subsidy would force the county to come up with about $26 million more a year for LI Bus. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano calls that impossible given the county's budget crunch.

As an alternative, Mangano sought private bidders to take over the day-to-day operation of LI Bus. The deadline for bids was Oct. 25.

"There has been no decision made," Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said Friday. "Right now we're in the process of reviewing the proposals."

Shortly after the bidding ended, Veolia, which runs transit systems in several large cities including Las Vegas, began advertising transit jobs in Nassau County. A Veolia spokeswoman said the company was simply "testing the waters" to find potential job candidates if it wins the contract.

Meanwhile, both Nassau and MTA officials say they are hopeful that they can keep the MTA in the LI Bus driver's seat. Mangano is scheduled to meet with MTA chairman and chief executive Jay Walder Monday.

"We're certainly going into it with an open mind," MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.

Nevin said the MTA would have to give Nassau 60 days' notice if it planned to discontinue LI Bus service.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit transportation policy group that opposes privatization, urged the county and the MTA on Friday to work out their differences.

"Instead of putting the system at risk, the two need to come to a negotiated settlement that puts bus riders first," spokesman Ryan Lynch said.