Letter: Mangano making a bad LI Bus choice

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's office recently said that my organization needs to "wake up" when it comes to plans for Long Island Bus ["Worry over LI Bus plan," News, Sept. 1].

Unfortunately for taxpayers and bus riders, it's the county executive who is dreaming. His plan for Long Island Bus is likely to cost taxpayers more, not less, and result in less bus service and higher fares.

He is interested in hiring Veolia Transdev, a private bus operator that has a spotty track record. Fares have doubled and service been drastically cut since Veolia took over a Columbia, S.C., bus system in 2002. Veolia pushed fares up on a system in York, Canada, to the highest rates in the Greater Toronto area and doesn't give bus drivers paid sick leave. Three Veolia buses recently caught fire within a three-month period in Georgia. Per mile of service, Veolia-run systems across the country have cost taxpayers far more than Long Island Bus cost Nassau County last year.

Good government groups like the Tri-State Transportation Campaign have every right to be extremely worried about the county executive's proposal. In fact, our concerns are shared with elected officials from both the Republican and Democratic parties, local chambers of commerce, local churches, students, professors and community organizations, who all spoke at a "people's hearing" we held on Aug. 31. We organized the event with four other groups because the county executive has not held a public hearing of his own.

Mangano is in real danger of losing a bus system that serves 100,000 people a day and is vital to Nassau County. Without adequate bus service, people won't be able to get to jobs, school or doctors' appointments, and taxpayers will be left with higher taxes and more traffic congestion.

Kate Slevin, Manhattan

Editor's note: The writer is the executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy organization.