Surprisingly smooth ride

By Bart Jonesbart.jones@newsday.comMay 18, 2026

Sadiq Shahad’s trip from Brooklyn to Ronkonkoma went so smoothly despite a railroad strike that he fell asleep on the shuttle bus - and was pleased he got to ride for free.

Shahad, 26, was returning to Port Jefferson, where he lives, from a trip to Brooklyn to see a friend. With the Long Island railroad shut down, he was forced to take a shuttle bus from Jamaica to Ronkonkoma.

He said it went great.

“It was pretty easy, surprisingly, “ Shadad, who is studying for his master's degree, said. “I thought it would be way, way more like confusing and difficult.”

“The ride was really smooth. No problem.,” he added. “ I slept the whole hour, woke up, and I was in Ronkonkoma. “

He said he normally pays $16 one way to get from Ronkonkoma to Jamaica, so the free bus ride was a nice bonus.

By Bart Jones

bart.jones@newsday.com

Bart Jones has covered religion, immigration and major breaking news at Newsday since 2000. A former foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in Venezuela, he is the author of “HUGO! The Hugo Chavez Story from Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution.”

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