Nassau bus cuts target of ire at hearing

Bus riders in Nassau County will have the opportunity to sound off Wednesday on the MTA's plan to eliminate more than half of Long Island Bus routes.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority public hearing on the proposed service cuts begins at 3 p.m. at the Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University in Hempstead. It is expected to last until 9 p.m.

Earlier this month, the MTA announced its plan to eliminate 25 of LI Bus' 48 lines, blaming inadequate funding from Nassau County, which owns the bus system but contributes only $9.1 million to its $140-million annual budget.

The hearing ultimately may have been unnecessary, as Nassau officials said last week they intend to pull out of the MTA and turn over LI Bus to a private operator. The county has not yet chosen a company from three bidders and has not set a timeline for privatization.

The MTA's cuts would take effect in July, pending board approval.

Brian Nevin, a spokesman for Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, said Mangano will not testify at the hearing. A statement will be read into the hearing record, Nevin said.

Transit advocates, including the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, are expected to rally in support of LI Bus near the Hofstra campus.

"We're essentially just trying to register our displeasure that we don't have an agreement between MTA and Nassau County," said Ryan Lynch, a senior planner with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "We're hoping riders come out to show their support for the bus system. It isn't supported the way it needs to be."

Last week, a coalition of transit advocates unveiled a public campaign that included cable television advertising taking Mangano to task over his privatization plan.

Transport Workers Union Local 252, the union that represents Long Island Bus drivers, was part of the coalition behind the advertising campaign.

With Keith Herbert