Letter: Veolia ready to roll Jan. 1

Last week, the Nassau County Legislature unanimously approved a contract ["LI Bus deal OKd," News, Dec 13] that is the basis for a public-private operating partnership between the county and Veolia Transportation to operate the new Nassau Inter-County Express, or NICE, bus system.

The contract spells out how the county will for the first time assume control over its own bus system, including fares, service levels, service plans and annual operating budget.

Before voting, the legislature worked with the county executive to insert many amendments that create more public involvement on proposed future adjustments to the system.

The Nassau-Veolia partnership is not "privatization," which actually defines the outright purchase of assets and full management control of a system by a private, third party. In fact, the county retains control of much of the strategic decision-making and still owns all the assets such as buses, garages, etc.

Bus riders and county taxpayers are getting the best of two approaches: public-sector oversight and control, with elected leaders determining policies, budgets and overall direction, and the private-sector cost effectiveness, efficiencies and expertise that come from managing major transit systems throughout the world.

The contract strongly incentivizes Veolia to provide as much service as available funding sources allow, not less, and to attract more riders and obtain additional funding from various sources to expand service. Our goal is to provide the maximum amount of service for each dollar available.

Veolia partners with local governments and authorities worldwide to provide affordable, high-quality transportation services. We will be ready to roll on Jan. 1 and look forward to serving NICE bus riders.

Michael Setzer, Garden City

Editor's note: The writer is vice president of Veolia Transportation and will serve as chief executive of NICE bus.