Public transportation advocates plan 18-hour bus ride on Long Island
Aaron Watkins Lopez, with the LI Bus Riders Union, brings a list of demands to the Nassau County Legislature for better NICE bus service on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, in Mineola. Credit: Howard Schnapp
A group of public transportation advocates will be crossing Long Island by bus Wednesday and Thursday to help bring attention to the importance of transit systems in Nassau and Suffolk.
Members of the Long Island Bus Riders Union will travel from Jamaica, Queens, to East Hampton and Orient Point, riding 12 different routes on the Island's two major bus systems, the Nassau Inter-County Express and Suffolk County Transit.
The ride will take about 18 hours, not counting an overnight stay in Riverhead, according to group organizer Aaron Watkins-Lopez. Along the way, the riders will gather input from regular bus customers and meet with elected officials at key stops.
"We're doing it to highlight the importance of . . . buses across the Island, but also to highlight the issues that each individual county is facing," Watkins-Lopez said.
The Long Island Bus Riders Union members will share their experiences on social media, including on the group's Twitter account, @LongIslandBRU.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
