The first bus rolls out of Ronkonkoma

At 4 a.m., a packed charter bus pulled out of the Ronkonkoma station, leaving behind a group of picketers gathered at the Railroad Avenue parking lot.

The bus, headed to the F train on 179th Street in Jamaica, was mostly quiet despite being full of commuters.

The bus driver quickly shut off the lights after departure, allowing the roughly 40 commuters to grab some extra sleep. The bus, now completely dark, hit the LIE in minutes, and the road to the city was clear.