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N87/N88 Beach Service


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Yesterday afternoon/evening NICE bus left busloads of people stranded for 90+ minutes at Jones Beach.  I saw buses short-turning at Central Bathhouse due to immense crowds since they couldn't pick up any more passengers at East Bathhouse.  Someone I knew waited 90+ minutes at East Bathhouse since buses were not stopping there.  He said tons of people were calling cabs and hitchhiking to get back to Freeport.  A TOTAL TOTAL DISGRACE ON NICE'S PART!!!!  AND COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE!

 

Meanwhile, they continue to run empty N87 buses to Hicksville.  (Buses range from completely empty by the time they drop off in Freeport from the beach, to at most 3 people.)  Who in their right mind would run an empty bus all the way to Hicksville when you are stranding hundreds and hundreds at the beach?  That Hicksville bus could have made 4 or 5 round trips (or more) to Jones Beach in the time it took to go all the way to Hicksville and back.  So NICE lost tons of fare money from passengers.  And I know I'm not going back next weekend and face that complete INCOMPETENCE again.

 

It's very simple: Jones Beach to Freeport.  Freeport to Jones Beach.  That's where the ridership wants to go.  Provide a shuttle every 10 to 15 minutes for the hundreds and hundreds of people.

 

The 2 or 3 people who need mid/north shore service are going to have to take either N40/41 to Hempstead for N70/71/72 along Hempstead Tpke east, or N40/41 to Mineola for N22/24 along Old Country Road to Hicksville.

 

 

 

 

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Yesterday afternoon/evening NICE bus left busloads of people stranded for 90+ minutes at Jones Beach.  I saw buses short-turning at Central Bathhouse due to immense crowds since they couldn't pick up any more passengers at East Bathhouse.  Someone I knew waited 90+ minutes at East Bathhouse since buses were not stopping there.  He said tons of people were calling cabs and hitchhiking to get back to Freeport.  A TOTAL TOTAL DISGRACE ON NICE'S PART!!!!  AND COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE!

 

Meanwhile, they continue to run empty N87 buses to Hicksville.  (Buses range from completely empty by the time they drop off in Freeport from the beach, to at most 3 people.)  Who in their right mind would run an empty bus all the way to Hicksville when you are stranding hundreds and hundreds at the beach?  That Hicksville bus could have made 4 or 5 round trips (or more) to Jones Beach in the time it took to go all the way to Hicksville and back.  So NICE lost tons of fare money from passengers.  And I know I'm not going back next weekend and face that complete INCOMPETENCE again.

 

It's very simple: Jones Beach to Freeport.  Freeport to Jones Beach.  That's where the ridership wants to go.  Provide a shuttle every 10 to 15 minutes for the hundreds and hundreds of people.

 

The 2 or 3 people who need mid/north shore service are going to have to take either N40/41 to Hempstead for N70/71/72 along Hempstead Tpke east, or N40/41 to Mineola for N22/24 along Old Country Road to Hicksville.

I thought there was supervision at Freeport. If supervision was present, doesn't seem a good decision to send the bus to Hicksville was a good decision.

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Extending the n73/74 to the beach and having n88 every 30 mins made the most sense. This was suggested to the folks at NICE on numerous occasions, but they failed to comprehend. Most of their management staff aren't familiar with this area, and how heavy beach traffic can cause problems. Back when it was MTA LIB, they usually had standby buses at the beach or Freeport in case of delays.

But you get what you pay for, NICE isn't going to offer the same quality of management in service as MTA. As you pointed out, the n87 carries air between Freeport and Hicksville. Its a long route that is pointless, and it should be discontinued. The n73's last stop is right by the entrance to the Wantagh Parkway, and Jones Beach is only 10 minutes away, but the folks from the sticks running NICE cant figure it out.

Its a win-win situation, 30 min service on buses that run in the busiest corridor (between Freeport & Jones Beach) and the n87 being absorbed by a rather light route (n73) which would get later service on summer days as well as Sunday service in summer.

They were sneaky with what they did this year, last year there were three buses an hour traveling between Jones Beach and points north, this year they made it only two buses. And because of that and the rowdy thugs that get on the bus at Freeport I never went to Jones Beach this year. That situation you saw is exactly the reason why I'm glad I didn't! :o

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I thought there was supervision at Freeport. If supervision was present, doesn't seem a good decision to send the bus to Hicksville was a good decision.

There is supervisior/dispatcher/management at Freeport Station. If n87 was running very late, he told driver to make deadhead.

People get trapped in Jones Beach because every NICE drivers don't return from East Bathhouse to West Bathhouse, then go back to Freeport Station.

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