Mangano Selects Veolia to Operate Long Island Bus

[PinePower]

It's over. Thanks for all that (non) help. Esp you Greg..

From:

http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=86CEEFFC9F4F8E9D07A4.3083?site=newsday&view=longisland_item&feed%3Aa=newsday_5min&feed%3Ac=longisland&feed%3Ai=1.2942050

 

http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=86CEEFFC9F4F8E9D07A4.3083?site=newsday&view=longisland_item&feed%3Aa=newsday_5min&feed%3Ac=longisland&feed%3Ai=1.2942050

 

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano is expected to announce Friday the private company chosen to take over Long Island Bus, the MTA -run system serving 100,000 daily riders, a high-ranking county source said Wednesday.

 

A five-person committee formed by Mangano last fall considered bids from three private operators -- Veolia Transportation, based in Lombard, Ill.; MV Transit, based in Fairfield, Calif .; and First Transit, based in Cincinnati. Veolia was represented locally by Manhattan-based consulting firm Park Strategies, which is owned by former Republican Sen. Alphonse D'Amato of Island Park .

 

The bus system is county-owned but has been run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority since 1973.

 

Mangano is expected to make the announcement at a Mineola news conference, the source said. He will be joined by Mark Aesch, chief executive of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, who consulted with the county in picking a bidder.

 

The winning bidder will have to be approved by the County Legislature before the deal is made official.

 

Mangano, in his push for privatization, has said he believes a private company can operate the system more efficiently than the MTA . The transit agency, in a long-running dispute with the county, has said it needs $26 million more yearly than the $9.1 million Nassau contributes to maintain existing service.

 

In April, the MTA voted to formally terminate its agreement with Nassau effective Dec. 31. A private operator would take over the system on Jan. 1.

[Joel Up Front]

Of course the county government is too +++++ to say anything so a "source" has to speak for them. Chicken****....

 

And why is the title of a thread on a matter as serious as this punctuated with an exclamation mark?

 

Mangano has already proven that he hates the poor, minorities, and anything with "bus" in it. When LIRR riders start riding around in those cheese buses again as track work is done and people trying to make ends meet file for unemployment because they couldn't reach their jobs on LI, tell me the wasn't able to do a half-decent job and that "all the money they stole from us" was wasted.

[PinePower]

Sorry I forgot to put the exclamation mark. Long Island is taking a huge step backward....

[Joel Up Front]

Hit the "edit" button twice and it'll allow you to change the title of a topic you've made.

 

I'm really having a hard time thinking government will fix anything. I don't even know why I registered to vote on that DMV form. Or thinking that the DMV has people with cognitive functions proctoring road tests.

[East New York]

It's over. Thanks for all that (non) help. Esp you Greg..

 

What exactly did you think anyone was going to be able to do?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

He's taking a stand against the which it seems like no one else has the balls to do. All of the complaining about how bad service is with the running it yet folks expect taxpayers to spend more of their hard earned money to subsidize that bus system that provides poor service? Doesn't make any sense to me. The plan hasn't even been implemented yet and folks are complaining about how terrible it is. Mangano understands that his consitituents simply CANNOT afford to pay anymore taxes than they are already and why people can't understand that is beyond me.

 

The question is why should the working class continue to support the poor as if they have money to just throw away just because some people need transportation in an area that is clearly car dependent. Long Island is NOT NYC. If you're going to move to a place with poor transportation and you're poor then don't complain about a poor transit system. There are plenty of affordable places with better transportation. That money could be better used and that is what Mangano is doing. He is providing what is needed for much less than what the wants.

[Joel Up Front]

It's not like they can afford to move anywhere else. It's already expensive enough to live in Nassau, never mind the cost of moving out. It's not like these people had choices of where to work, or where to live in some cases. Don't criticize the ridership because you think they made a "mistake" in moving to Nassau and being too poor or otherwise unable to afford the car and every other associated cost when Nassau's street layout is skewed towards you having your own car. Do you think they can afford to live anywhere else, move, do anything to better the situation with what they have? I don't see Mangano doing jack shit to help them at all. You're mocking every one of them by "applauding" that ass. You think he can just ditch the and "save" them?

 

Sure, I'd love to see you send all these people to wherever. I'm sure your Paradise for them has buses that run on NYCT-like headways, is fast enough to be an option, and that they can find jobs and support themselves. Where is that? Tell me, I'd love to move out there myself. The Lord Almighty forbid that they actually find a place that is ideal for them.

 

Yeah, one more thing, I'm not ****ing poor. So tell me, Sir "Look at me I have more money than these people?" what am I, then, for living in suburbia without a license, but having the financial backing to afford the gas, the insurance, the inspections, the trips to the garage? Tell me. Come on, then.

[PinePower]

But no other place does what Mangano wants to do. Even public-private partnerships require a significant subsidy to run.

Something will have to give and that will be service. Many routes that are crowded will have skeleton service, hourly, like ST. And it will end much earlier. I see the fights and chaos that will result as riders fight to get on that bus, esp if its the last one.

Others will be stranded and at the mercy of price gouging cabs. Still others will resort to auto theft and crime to get by.

And no metrocards will drive away ridership. Eventually many will just leave.

A blow to Nassau's economy. Mangano says he's all about creating jobs, BUT HOW DOES HE EXPECT PEOPLE TO GET TO WORK WITHOUT MUCH OF A BUS SYSTEM?

Ok, so we have to see his plan first. Sure it'd be nice if most service and metrocards are kept, and it was similar to Bee-Line in Westchester. But with much less county subsidy I just dont see how.

Most people who take the bus work, they work in retail, construction, landscaping,etc. NIFA and the county legislature are our very last hope, but I think we're too close to the edge of the cliff not to go over.

I'll be there to document the chaos, unlike some reporters...

 

 

 

He's taking a stand against the which it seems like no one else has the balls to do. All of the complaining about how bad service is with the running it yet folks expect taxpayers to spend more of their hard earned money to subsidize that bus system that provides poor service? Doesn't make any sense to me. The plan hasn't even been implemented yet and folks are complaining about how terrible it is. Mangano understands that his consitituents simply CANNOT afford to pay anymore taxes than they are already and why people can't understand that is beyond me.

 

The question is why should the working class continue to support the poor as if they have money to just throw away just because some people need transportation in an area that is clearly car dependent. Long Island is NOT NYC. If you're going to move to a place with poor transportation and you're poor then don't complain about a poor transit system. There are plenty of affordable places with better transportation. That money could be better used and that is what Mangano is doing. He is providing what is needed for much less than what the wants.

[Joel Up Front]

How the hell are landscapers going to get on the bus with all their tools and equipment? That too, is what I want to know. I don't know how things go down in the center of the county (oh wait, maybe I do...), but last I checked, landscapers rode around in their company trucks. I think I'd hear something from the bus operators if I saw a guy get on with a lawn mower and a side trimmer. Borderline god-effing-awful is what I just read there.

 

Yeah, a lot more than half of the ridership is Hispanic, but are they all in landscaping? Every time. Every time, some how "landscapers" get into there. Maybe that's all they can do. Not up to me, but you really should stop with that. We're both in the same boat, but I at least tried to make the best of it.

[qjtransitmaster]

Sorry I forgot to put the exclamation mark. Long Island is taking a huge step backward....

 

NOT really I know the rochester-gennese guy he is a genius he turned rochesters bus system from a deficit to a surplus WITHOUT SERVICE CUTS!!!! If the peeps at RGRTA are helping then it may not be as bad as I feared!!!! Rochester is well known for being one of the few to actually CUT the fare. If mangando is getting consulting from rochester ppl then the service may actually improve or get streamlined

[East New York]

He's taking a stand against the which it seems like no one else has the balls to do. All of the complaining about how bad service is with the running it yet folks expect taxpayers to spend more of their hard earned money to subsidize that bus system that provides poor service? Doesn't make any sense to me. The plan hasn't even been implemented yet and folks are complaining about how terrible it is. Mangano understands that his consitituents simply CANNOT afford to pay anymore taxes than they are already and why people can't understand that is beyond me.

 

The question is why should the working class continue to support the poor as if they have money to just throw away just because some people need transportation in an area that is clearly car dependent. Long Island is NOT NYC. If you're going to move to a place with poor transportation and you're poor then don't complain about a poor transit system. There are plenty of affordable places with better transportation. That money could be better used and that is what Mangano is doing. He is providing what is needed for much less than what the wants.

 

Dude. You have no idea what you are talking about! If it wasn't for the MTA there would be no service in Nassau at all right now! They weren't paying for their bus service, MTA and NYC taxpayers like you were!

 

This is about money and politics. Nassau has been scamming the MTA for years. Agencies smaller than LIB can't even run of what Nassau was contributing.

[FamousNYLover]

I'm sure lots of people who doesn't watch news will be confused.

 

All private bus operator will still enter bus terminal at Jamaica, Hempstead?

 

Another bus that doesn't take MetroCard is City of Long Beach Loops, Shoppers Special and N69 Point Lookout.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's not like they can afford to move anywhere else. It's already expensive enough to live in Nassau, never mind the cost of moving out. It's not like these people had choices of where to work, or where to live in some cases. Don't criticize the ridership because you think they made a "mistake" in moving to Nassau and being too poor or otherwise unable to afford the car and every other associated cost when Nassau's street layout is skewed towards you having your own car. Do you think they can afford to live anywhere else, move, do anything to better the situation with what they have? I don't see Mangano doing jack shit to help them at all. You're mocking every one of them by "applauding" that ass. You think he can just ditch the and "save" them?

 

Sure, I'd love to see you send all these people to wherever. I'm sure your Paradise for them has buses that run on NYCT-like headways, is fast enough to be an option, and that they can find jobs and support themselves. Where is that? Tell me, I'd love to move out there myself. The Lord Almighty forbid that they actually find a place that is ideal for them.

 

 

But no other place does what Mangano wants to do. Even public-private partnerships require a significant subsidy to run.

Something will have to give and that will be service. Many routes that are crowded will have skeleton service, hourly, like ST. And it will end much earlier. I see the fights and chaos that will result as riders fight to get on that bus, esp if its the last one.

Others will be stranded and at the mercy of price gouging cabs. Still others will resort to auto theft and crime to get by.

And no metrocards will drive away ridership. Eventually many will just leave.

A blow to Nassau's economy. Mangano says he's all about creating jobs, BUT HOW DOES HE EXPECT PEOPLE TO GET TO WORK WITHOUT MUCH OF A BUS SYSTEM?

Ok, so we have to see his plan first. Sure it'd be nice if most service and metrocards are kept, and it was similar to Bee-Line in Westchester. But with much less county subsidy I just dont see how.

Most people who take the bus work, they work in retail, construction, landscaping,etc. NIFA and the county legislature are our very last hope, but I think we're too close to the edge of the cliff not to go over.

I'll be there to document the chaos, unlike some reporters...

 

Okay, so answer this then. Where is this money supposed to come from to provide the bus service that you guys think Long Island should have? It's also interesting that the majority of folks seem to want this. I wonder why... How much more are people supposed to pay in taxes? The state is taxing NY residents to death and it's about time that folks are given some relief.

[qjtransitmaster]

Sorry I forgot to put the exclamation mark. Long Island is taking a huge step backward....

 

How the hell are landscapers going to get on the bus with all their tools and equipment? That too, is what I want to know. I don't know how things go down in the center of the county (oh wait, maybe I do...), but last I checked, landscapers rode around in their company trucks. I think I'd hear something from the bus operators if I saw a guy get on with a lawn mower and a side trimmer. Borderline god-effing-awful is what I just read there.

 

Yeah, a lot more than half of the ridership is Hispanic, but are they all in landscaping? Every time. Every time, some how "landscapers" get into there. Maybe that's all they can do. Not up to me, but you really should stop with that. We're both in the same boat, but I at least tried to make the best of it.

 

Lets be honest the poor DO NOT belong in nassau or long island period or anywhere where transit isnt super frequent. also after seeing this : Mark Aesch, chief executive of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority turns out this may not be so bad afterall!!!! I am aware of that guy's ability if this is really the case then I actually see the rtes being realigned and more direect service to roosevelt now if they can just reroute the N46 to bypass hempstead to roosevelt and the ridership will skyrocket as now the rte has a high trip generator and adds direct service for ppl along N46 who previously had to use 3 buses to reach the mall. But honestly why should middle class subsidise the poor heck why should anybody subsidise the poor that just destroys towns and brings in more ghetto. Not that bus service attracts crime it does not but direct subsidising of poor folk enables more crap in LI. I think many LI bus rtes should be eventually replaced with guideways and PRT/BRT(elevated network) combo. Like 100% rail based.:cool:

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Dude. You have no idea what you are talking about! If it wasn't for the MTA there would be no service in Nassau at all right now! They weren't paying for their bus service, MTA and NYC taxpayers like you were!

 

This is about money and politics. Nassau has been scamming the MTA for years. Agencies smaller than LIB can't even run of what Nassau was contributing.

 

We'll just have to wait and see I guess and if it goes under then so be it. Maybe Nassau wasn't meant to have bus service. They weren't paying much for the service, right, but they were still contributing something, albeit it not much and that's the point. And believe me, I'm well aware of the fact that NYC taxpayers have been footing a good portion of the bill for way too long and I still stand by what I said, regardless to how clueless you think I am on the subject.

 

The way I see it if no one can provide bus service then they shouldn't even bother to bid. Of course the clear answer to that is they want the money, so it is what it is. The fact of the matter is you can't make money appear that isn't there.

[PinePower]

Okay, so answer this then. Where is this money supposed to come from to provide the bus service that you guys think Long Island should have? It's also interesting that the majority of folks seem to want this. I wonder why... How much more are people supposed to pay in taxes? The state is taxing NY residents to death and it's about time that folks are given some relief.

 

Well some people think its OK to put taxpayers on the hook for a 400 Million dollar coliseum. But that's OK, right?

Once the bus service gets scaled back with $5 fares, those same people will be moaning about how hard it is to get a landscaper and the long lines in stores because no one can get to work. And the increased crime...just wait!

Most people aren't upset because the media has done a lousy job reporting it. Activist groups have been absent. It seems LI Bus riders (and employees) have been left for dead.

I agree the MTA Payroll Tax is unfair, but this still doesn't explain why Nassau feels the $35 Million the MTA wants is unreasonable while Westchester pays $33 Million to a PRIVATE OPERATOR to run Bee-Line! This is a huge outrage for crying out loud, yet it seems no one gives a flying f*ck. Just wait and watch as the disaster unfolds.

[qjtransitmaster]

Well some people think its OK to put taxpayers on the hook for a 400 Million dollar coliseum. But that's OK, right?

Once the bus service gets scaled back with $5 fares, those same people will be moaning about how hard it is to get a landscaper and the long lines in stores because no one can get to work. And the increased crime...just wait!

Most people aren't upset because the media has done a lousy job reporting it. Activist groups have been absent. It seems LI Bus riders (and employees) have been left for dead.

I agree the MTA Payroll Tax is unfair, but this still doesn't explain why Nassau feels the $35 Million the MTA wants is unreasonable while Westchester pays $33 Million to a PRIVATE OPERATOR to run Bee-Line! This is a huge outrage for crying out loud, yet it seems no one gives a flying f*ck. Just wait and watch as the disaster unfolds.

 

I will watch now all I need is popcorn:cool:

[PinePower]

How the hell are landscapers going to get on the bus with all their tools and equipment? That too, is what I want to know. I don't know how things go down in the center of the county (oh wait, maybe I do...), but last I checked, landscapers rode around in their company trucks. I think I'd hear something from the bus operators if I saw a guy get on with a lawn mower and a side trimmer. Borderline god-effing-awful is what I just read there.

 

Yeah, a lot more than half of the ridership is Hispanic, but are they all in landscaping? Every time. Every time, some how "landscapers" get into there. Maybe that's all they can do. Not up to me, but you really should stop with that. We're both in the same boat, but I at least tried to make the best of it.

 

Well all I know is many guys have dirty clothes like they were working in landscaping. Also many businesses are based in Glen Cove and work on the north shore and their workers take the bus from Hempstead and points south.

I guess those companies better start liking to drive their trucks down to Hempstead to pick up their workers, then drive them home at night!

[East New York]

We'll just have to wait and see I guess and if it goes under then so be it. Maybe Nassau wasn't meant to have bus service. They weren't paying much for the service, right, but they were still contributing something, albeit it not much and that's the point. And believe me, I'm well aware of the fact that NYC taxpayers have been footing a good portion of the bill for way too long and I still stand by what I said, regardless to how clueless you think I am on the subject.

 

The way I see it if no one can provide bus service then they shouldn't even bother to bid. Of course the clear answer to that is they want the money, so it is what it is. The fact of the matter is you can't make money appear that isn't there.

 

$8 Million dollars is all they contribute IIRC! I bet Nassau will pay the private contractor twice that amount and then some! Mangano can afford to pay the MTA, but he would rather pay his friends. What part of that don't you get? It's a whole lot bigger than you think it is!

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Well some people think its OK to put taxpayers on the hook for a 400 Million dollar coliseum. But that's OK, right?

Once the bus service gets scaled back with $5 fares, those same people will be moaning about how hard it is to get a landscaper and the long lines in stores because no one can get to work. And the increased crime...just wait!

Most people aren't upset because the media has done a lousy job reporting it. Activist groups have been absent. It seems LI Bus riders (and employees) have been left for dead.

I agree the MTA Payroll Tax is unfair, but this still doesn't explain why Nassau feels the $35 Million the MTA wants is unreasonable while Westchester pays $33 Million to a PRIVATE OPERATOR to run Bee-Line! This is a huge outrage for crying out loud, yet it seems no one gives a flying f*ck. Just wait and watch as the disaster unfolds.

 

Yeah well the taxpayers in Westchester are different from the taxpayers on Long Island and they have different priorities. I agree with the decision. That new arena will benefit Long Island as a whole in the long run and it is basically an investment that they are more likely to make money off of than LI Bus. That's like me. I earn a good living, but I don't drive, BUT even though I live in Staten Island, I still live in NYC. I would like to see service expanded a bit more, but overall my main gripe is that the service we have isn't provided, but in most cases it is adequate. Unless I planned on buying a car, I would not move to Long Island. People are saying that it's so expensive to live in Nassau, but yet these people live there?? I mean it makes no sense and I don't buy this about they can't move anywhere cheaper.

 

$8 Million dollars is all they contribute IIRC! I bet Nassau will pay the private contractor twice that amount and then some! Mangano can afford to pay the MTA, but he would rather pay his friends. What part of that don't you get? It's a whole lot bigger than you think it is!

 

Yeah and so what if he does? Hell quite frankly I wouldn't mind us having things privatized here rather than fork over my money to the even if it meant paying more. Yeah it's picking between two devils, but hey the has gotten too comfortable being the only show in town anyway and that's why things that should be done haven't been done.

[PinePower]

$8 Million dollars is all they contribute IIRC! I bet Nassau will pay the private contractor twice that amount and then some! Mangano can afford to pay the MTA, but he would rather pay his friends. What part of that don't you get? It's a whole lot bigger than you think it is!

 

Well if you're right then service wont be cut as bad. It's still corruption at its worst. Of course it'd be nice if this could be run like Bee-Line in Westchester, which has nicer buses than the MTA. When people mention a good public-private partnership, Bee-Line is a huge success.

But I think that is just wishful thinking...

[Joel Up Front]

You're the clueless one if you really think that about Long Island and the people that live here without cars.

[PinePower]

Staten Island is very similar to Nassau in alot of ways yet it gets much more transit service, in some ways. So lets say we privatize the SI system?

But that'd never happen because its NYC and only in the city do transit riders count.

Ever been on Nassau's roads? They are clogged with traffic, some of the worst in the nation, and you want to put more cars on them?

Nassau is quite an urban county and has more in common with Queens than Suffolk!

 

Yeah well the taxpayers in Westchester are different from the taxpayers on Long Island and they have different priorities. I agree with the decision. That new arena will benefit Long Island as a whole in the long run and it is basically an investment that they are more likely to make money off of than LI Bus. That's like me. I earn a good living, but I don't drive, BUT even though I live in Staten Island, I still live in NYC. I would like to see service expanded a bit more, but overall my main gripe is that the service we have isn't provided, but in most cases it is adequate. Unless I planned on buying a car, I would not move to Long Island. People are saying that it's so expensive to live in Nassau, but yet these people live there?? I mean it makes no sense and I don't buy this about they can't move anywhere cheaper.

 

 

 

Yeah and so what if he does? Hell quite frankly I wouldn't mind us having things privatized here rather than fork over my money to the even if it meant paying more. Yeah it's picking between two devils, but hey the has gotten too comfortable being the only show in town anyway and that's why things that should be done haven't been done.

[qjtransitmaster]

Staten Island is very similar to Nassau in alot of ways yet it gets much more transit service, in some ways. So lets say we privatize the SI system?

But that'd never happen because its NYC and only in the city do transit riders count.

Ever been on Nassau's roads? They are clogged with traffic, some of the worst in the nation, and you want to put more cars on them?

Nassau is quite an urban county and has more in common with Queens than Suffolk!

 

ur right about that but if things get better we dance if not then GOVT WILL STEP IN!!! most LI peeps who should NOT drive do so. The thing is most of em are travelling between nassau AND suffolk. The bus service needs to be more regional than isolated local link to LIRR as that isnt the most frequent ya know. I think in the long run trams and guideways should eventually replace buses in LI as the areas arent bus friendly. PRT is pretty personal and BRT is regional if done right it will rock

[East New York]

Yeah and so what if he does? Hell quite frankly I wouldn't mind us having things privatized here rather than fork over my money to the even if it meant paying more. Yeah it's picking between two devils, but hey the has gotten too comfortable being the only show in town anyway and that's why things that should be done haven't been done.

 

No, the MTA got too comfortable paying for Nassau service trying to be nice. I've seen the financials. Nassau hasn't contributed shit. They just unloaded LIB onto the TA.

 

Who do you think got the bulk of those new buses for LIB? It certainly wasn't Nassau County!!