Letters: Anxiety about deal with LI Bus

Newsday's editorial "Time to drive a smart bargain" [July 7] raises some important questions about the future of Nassau County's bus system, but there are large differences between what County Executive Edward Mangano is proposing and how Veolia Transportation operates in other states.

Veolia may operate successful systems throughout the country, but this is only possible because it receives larger government subsidies than Nassau County has said it is willing to provide.

If the company does not receive these needed subsidies, Veolia has a long track record of raising fares and cutting service. The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority in Columbia, S.C., has seen fares increase by 100 percent, its downtown trolley service eliminated and numerous other service cuts since Veolia took over operations in 2002.

Without further information and a detailed five-year plan, Nassau County residents should be very concerned about losing its bus system.

Ryan Lynch, Manhattan

Editor's note: The writer is the Long Island coordinator for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit transportation policy watchdog.

Your editorial is absolutely right: The privatization of Long Island Bus must not go forward without a clearly defined, and detailed, five-year plan.

Saying that fares will not increase or services will not be cut in the first year is meaningless. We've all seen enough sales at local stores to know a loss leader when we see one. We've also seen deals that are too good to be true. We need to know the real price of privatization.

The real price must recognize the county's obligations to current workers under the Federal Transit Act. Nassau County agreed to accept federal labor standards when it took federal transit dollars for buses, buildings and equipment. Obligations must be met and laws and contracts honored.

One exception I would like to make to your editorial is the cost of keeping bus service under the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The MTA board is open to negotiating a new deal with county leaders, and the cost of maintaining the current service would not be as high as you suggest.

Patricia Bowden, Westbury

Editor's note: The writer is president of Transport Workers Union Local 252, which represents Long Island Bus drivers and mechanics.

The attack on public transportation across the country is an attack on working people, particularly low-income immigrants and people of color. In the United States, 84 percent of transit agencies are facing service cuts, fare hikes and privatization.

As Nassau County privatizes Long Island Bus, which will inevitably result in an increase in fares and a decrease in quality of service, people who are the most economically disadvantaged will pay the highest price.

Public transportation ridership is largely dependent on income, especially in suburbs like Nassau County. Immigrants are more likely to have lower incomes than their native-born counterparts, and, hence, are twice as likely to use public transportation.

For example, Hempstead has the largest Latino population in the county at 44.21 percent, and the largest population with limited English proficiency, 40 percent. In Hempstead, 32 percent of the population uses Long Island Bus to get to work or school.

Across the country, advocates are suing cities and private transportation companies for violating the Civil Rights Act. If Veolia Transportation implements the kinds of service cuts and fare increases it did in Columbia, S.C., Phoenix, and elsewhere across they country, it could very well face similar lawsuits.

Charlene Obernauer, Hauppauge

Editor's note: The writer is the executive director of Long Island Jobs with Justice, a workers' rights advocacy organization.