Opting for the free shuttle

A half dozen shuttles from Queens arrived at the Bay Shore LIRR station between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., with more expected to bring Long Islanders home as the night goes on. Some carried more than a dozen passengers, while one brought only two riders.

Donna Willenbrock arrived in Penn Station Monday afternoon from Washington D.C., where she celebrated her daughter’s graduation from law school. She relied on the shuttle to take her to Bay Shore on Monday after checking the prices for an Uber to her Amityville home. That ride in the opposite direction cost her $170 after a fire disrupted LIRR service. On Monday, the cost would have been about $250, she said.

“This was probably the best the situation could be,” Willenbrock said as she waited for her son to pick her up from the Bay Shore LIRR station. “I was waiting for a nightmare, but this is like seamless.”

Property manager Christian Greene said he will have to head into the city for in-person meetings again on Wednesday and Thursday. Even though the shuttle and a ride on the A train more than doubled his ordinarily hour-and-a-half commute, he will opt for the same excursion over driving.

“I’d spend $50 a day parking,” Greene, 50, of Islip, said. “I have a huge pickup truck, so getting in the city is a huge pain in the butt. And at least I can sleep on the bus on the way in.”