Don't blame MTA for bus cuts
Nassau's bus system projects higher expenses due to a rise in prices for natural gas, which fuels both buses and facilities. Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
While the Metropolitan Transit Authority announced plans this week to cut more than 50 percent of the bus routes it runs in Nassau County, it would be unfair to say that it's the MTA that will eliminate those routes.
If it comes to that, it will be Nassau itself that does it, ending the service to some of the county's most vulnerable residents through its unwillingness or inability to pay its full share for the operation of Long Island Bus.
After a year of fruitless negotiating, the MTA unveiled a plan to cut the routes now used each weekday by 16,000 riders (out of about 100,000), costing 224 Long Island Bus employees their jobs.
Nassau is the only county whose bus service is subsidized by the MTA, which, over the last decade, has spent about $140 million on the operation. Nassau paid its full share of expenses until about 10 years ago, but when the county's finances soured, the MTA picked up the slack - part of the complicated politics of Albany, Nassau and transportation - and it has been that way ever since.
Pressure from the MTA to ramp up Nassau's contribution is nothing new. Conflict between the two organizations was rampant during the tenure of County Executive Tom Suozzi. But now the MTA is drawing the line, and current County Executive Edward Mangano must respond.
There's no justification for continuing this subsidy, which takes money from residents of other counties in the metropolitan area and uses it to pay the bills of Long Island Bus.
Nassau has said it is willing to pay the MTA $9 million this year, about the same as last year, to run the system. The MTA argues that to maintain the current level of service it needs about $33 million from Nassau, but it has not demanded Nassau jump from partial to full funding of its obligation in one year. The MTA has been flexible, offering a few years of transition during which it would reduce its subsidy while maintaining current service. What the MTA is demanding more than anything is that Nassau admit Long Island Bus is the county's responsibility and outline some plan for taking over its financing.
In response, Nassau has insisted the MTA is inefficient, bloated and already gets plenty of money from Long Island between bus subsidies and the payroll tax. The county is now evaluating three proposals from private carriers in the hope it can maintain services and control costs by taking Long Island Bus away from the MTA. Mangano says a recommendation on those proposals should come within the next month.
While the plan the MTA unveiled this week makes sense financially for that organization - and even includes cuts of lightly used routes that ought to be made regardless of what happens - it would strand a lot of people who depend on these buses to get to their jobs.
Nassau needs to show the privatization plan can work, or come to the table and pay its fair share to serve its residents, just like every other county.
