MTA set to end LI Bus lease with Nassau

Transit advocates and union leaders have made a last-ditch effort to stop the MTA from ending its nearly 40-year working agreement with Nassau County, which plans to turn over Long Island Bus to a private operator.

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to vote April 27 to discontinue its lease agreement with Nassau County for the operation of Long Island Bus, which is owned by Nassau but has been run by the MTA since 1973. Nassau this year paid $9.1 million to the MTA to operate the bus service.

If approved, the contract between the county and the MTA would terminate at the end of this year. Nassau has said it will turn over its bus system to a private operator in January. There are currently three bus companies competing for the contract.

In a letter to MTA chairman Jay Walder, representatives from organizations including the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the Long Island Federation of Labor said a vote next week would be "premature."

"In order to make an informed decision, MTA board members must know additional details about Nassau County's plan to privatize the system," the letter said.

Opponents of the privatization effort have said bus service in Nassau will decline and fares could go up. Union officials fear a loss of jobs and salary cuts.

The MTA needs to give 60 days notice before ending its agreement with Nassau. The MTA has said Nassau has not lived up to its obligation to properly fund its bus system. Nassau says the MTA does not run the system efficiently.

"Nassau County has informed the MTA of its intention to privatize, so we must now take steps to help ensure the transition is as orderly as possible at the end of the year," MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said Tuesday.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign spokesman Ryan Lynch said the letter was sent with the belief "that there's still time to come to a solution that really puts bus riders first and is in the best interest for all parties."