Should MTA re-take over LIBus?

[qjtransitmaster]

Asking Pinepower what he does for a living is like asking for peace in the middle east...

 

sums it up pretty well but if NICE is this bad then this will only worsen their image among nassau residents.

[Hound]

Everything looks like shit if you only look at it through your shit colored classes. You come here whining everyday that service would be so much better if the MTA was still around. Bull, and you know it because MTA wouldn't have the budget they had. "Oh but if only Mangano would pay the MTA what they wanted..." Oh yea, where is this money coming from? Transit agencies across the country are having their budget slashed.

 

Even if Nassau could pony up the money MTA had requested the transit system is still better left in the hands of Veolia, it is proven they can do more with the money. Unless you feel the money is better spent paying people in the office at Mitchel Field $80,000 and $100,000 a year. When times are tough MTA makes the rider suffer, when was the last time you heard of budget cuts and MTA laying off the elite in the office? The MTA is a piggy bank designed to hook up a select group of people with fantastic jobs, pay, and benefits (including pension) that do not exist in the private sector. When times get tough they punish the working class (the drivers) and the riders to keep what they have.

 

I posted this before to another user but will ask you the same question. Last year when the MTA took care of their "top people" at MTA LIB and hooked them up with jobs at other MTA organizations, how many of their top/senior drivers did they take care of, giving them a job at other MTA sites, protecting their pay, over time, and pension? The answer is none. They sent out the notice required by the WARN act and dropped the drivers at MTA LIB like a red headed step child once the piggy bank was dry in Nassau County.

 

The next you talk to your senior bus drivers and talking about how good times were at MTA, ask them how they felt when a dozen transit detectives lined them up like prisoners and took their uniforms and badges? I talked to a senior driver and he said he felt demeaned and low, after 20 years of service and this is how the MTA treated him. They didn't even trust drivers to return their badges. Could you imagine how that would feel? To give so many years to an organization and not even being trusted to turn in your badge with respect, you had to have a transit detective take from you in the hallway!?!

 

If senior drivers can't make ends meet, I feel bad for them, but if they depended on that much overtime to "survive" (I guess "survive" in Nassau County means own two new cars, a big house, and a summer home) taht means they were living beyond their means, but the MTA was a piggy bank and I guess how these drivers thought the ATM would never stop giving out cash as long as they needed it.

 

As far as senior drivers leaving, I don't buy it. $27/hr x 40 hours is $1080.00 a week, they are not making that anywhere else. $56,000 a year is pretty damn good, sorry the days of $100 grand a year is over. Where else in the area is a CDL B driver going to make $56,000 a year with medical and dental? No where!

 

As far as new drivers making $12/hr, you are wrong! I think that MAY be training pay, I'm told fixed route drivers earn $14/hr -to- $16/hr. That's pretty good, keep in mind the market is flooded with with CDL B drivers who have a P (and S) endorsement), the government paid for people to get the license when the economy tanked, now you have more drivers than jobs. As long as people out there are willing to accept driving jobs for $10/hr there will be jobs out there paying between $10/hr and $12/hr.

 

So, nice starting drivers at $16/hr is pretty good, and full benefits too! Keep in mind MTA started new drivers as LABO drivers, now new drivers can get a 40 hour week, I'm sure they're happy.

 

Every driver is new at one time, the same for MTA LIB but you didn't have people coming on here posting every time one of them missed a turn.

 

Driving a transit bus is different than driving a school bus, I'll tell because you have no idea what's like to drive a school bus or a transit bus. It's a different animal, it feels different (and probably only people who have driven both school and transit buses will understand that), it turns different, etc. and you have a**holes like you giving them shit when they're trying to focus on driving the bus!

 

People come from driving a school bus to a transit bus because there is more school bus work and these people look for a 40 hour week and 12 months of employment. MTA filled all of the work by giving senior drivers a lot of over time. To keep costs down Veolia spreads the work out in 40 hour weeks, so of course their will be a need for more drivers. Where do you think these drivers come from? Do you just press a button and poof, drivers with decades of experience show up? Of course Veolia has to teach EXPERIENCED COMMERCIAL DRIVERS how to drive a transit bus, no one is born knowing the routes, people make mistakes and any good driver is cautious when driving new equipment. So at the beginning (this is still the beginning) a logical person would expect to see more new drivers (and expect these new drivers to have a learning curve) because Veolia needs more drivers to run the system the way they do. After a couple of years, you will see less new drivers and less mistakes will be made because the drivers are more seasoned. What can you do? Go back to a system paying out ridiculous overtime to senior drivers to limit new drivers, a system that broke the bank once, just to keep pine power & friends happy?

 

I also think it is offensive, and that you owe these new drivers an apology saying they not fit to drive a dollar van. I don't think you would last a day as a new nice b/o, or school bus driver! You still haven't told me what you do for living? Where you work are the new employees automatically on the same level as the senior employees?

Who the hell is this guy? He must have stock in Veolia,the way he defends this piss-poor operation. Get real!

[Vistausss]

I'm going to call veolias service bull. You know I let things slide because transit agencies have bad days but nice has bad days all day every day! I was waiting for the dreaded n6 today again, I got to the bus stop at 2:00, the first bus showed up at 2:17 and didn't stop, the next one picked us up at 2:20 we both went non stop to elmont road because we flagged a bunch of people all the way through. The 20 people we were able to pick up at elmont rd told us they were waiting for 40 mins. We left about another 30 people at the very busy elmont road that veolia refuses to acknowledge as a busy stop. Any-who I don't blame the lack of service on new drivers.

 

I was talking to a good buddy of mine who works at nice and he was telling me that 20 1700s are down and out and 10 1800s have been sitting for 2 months out of service. Plenty of Orion v buses are down too but I stress the importance of the newer buses not working. Veolia is working with less and providing much less service. The mta was straight forward, they said if Nassau can't provide money they would run service to what they can afford. Sure service would have been less but I know I wouldn't wait for a long period of time everytime I take a Nassau bus every day. I'm going to say this now as my opinion stands veolia hasn't made any right moves with scheduling, they are incapable of providing reliable service and they are lying through their teeth.

 

As for the comment about mta being top heavy, I know a few people who lost thier jobs in 2010 and they made more money than any of us combined because they were cutting top heavy. So don't think you know, the news knows nothing but half truths.

 

No one should defend veolia, they are incompetent!

 

So you've also ridden in other places where Veolia runs to come to this conclusion? If anything, then blame NICE but don't go blaming a whole company.

I'm not gonna blame the when LIRR is late because that's only a subdivision. Just like NICE is a subdivision of Veolia. So be careful with your words there.

 

Who the hell is this guy? He must have stock in Veolia,the way he defends this piss-poor operation. Get real!

 

So if you defend something you have something to do with them? Then you must probably work for the .

Yes, if you're gonna put it like that Imma put it like that too.

[compobus fan]

Who the hell is this guy? He must have stock in Veolia,the way he defends this piss-poor operation. Get real!

 

 

Sounds like one of the few with reason, as opposed to political agenda, and the ability to see there are NO panaceas, but bloated agencies like the MTA are a blight on any budget. Personal attacks on Ed Mangano (or any politician) without a modicum of proof are despicable and quite frankly childish.

[CDTA]

Everything looks like shit if you only look at it through your shit colored classes. You come here whining everyday that service would be so much better if the MTA was still around. Bull, and you know it because MTA wouldn't have the budget they had. "Oh but if only Mangano would pay the MTA what they wanted..." Oh yea, where is this money coming from? Transit agencies across the country are having their budget slashed.

 

Even if Nassau could pony up the money MTA had requested the transit system is still better left in the hands of Veolia, it is proven they can do more with the money. Unless you feel the money is better spent paying people in the office at Mitchel Field $80,000 and $100,000 a year. When times are tough MTA makes the rider suffer, when was the last time you heard of budget cuts and MTA laying off the elite in the office? The MTA is a piggy bank designed to hook up a select group of people with fantastic jobs, pay, and benefits (including pension) that do not exist in the private sector. When times get tough they punish the working class (the drivers) and the riders to keep what they have.

 

I posted this before to another user but will ask you the same question. Last year when the MTA took care of their "top people" at MTA LIB and hooked them up with jobs at other MTA organizations, how many of their top/senior drivers did they take care of, giving them a job at other MTA sites, protecting their pay, over time, and pension? The answer is none. They sent out the notice required by the WARN act and dropped the drivers at MTA LIB like a red headed step child once the piggy bank was dry in Nassau County.

 

The next you talk to your senior bus drivers and talking about how good times were at MTA, ask them how they felt when a dozen transit detectives lined them up like prisoners and took their uniforms and badges? I talked to a senior driver and he said he felt demeaned and low, after 20 years of service and this is how the MTA treated him. They didn't even trust drivers to return their badges. Could you imagine how that would feel? To give so many years to an organization and not even being trusted to turn in your badge with respect, you had to have a transit detective take from you in the hallway!?!

 

If senior drivers can't make ends meet, I feel bad for them, but if they depended on that much overtime to "survive" (I guess "survive" in Nassau County means own two new cars, a big house, and a summer home) taht means they were living beyond their means, but the MTA was a piggy bank and I guess how these drivers thought the ATM would never stop giving out cash as long as they needed it.

 

As far as senior drivers leaving, I don't buy it. $27/hr x 40 hours is $1080.00 a week, they are not making that anywhere else. $56,000 a year is pretty damn good, sorry the days of $100 grand a year is over. Where else in the area is a CDL B driver going to make $56,000 a year with medical and dental? No where!

 

As far as new drivers making $12/hr, you are wrong! I think that MAY be training pay, I'm told fixed route drivers earn $14/hr -to- $16/hr. That's pretty good, keep in mind the market is flooded with with CDL B drivers who have a P (and S) endorsement), the government paid for people to get the license when the economy tanked, now you have more drivers than jobs. As long as people out there are willing to accept driving jobs for $10/hr there will be jobs out there paying between $10/hr and $12/hr.

 

So, nice starting drivers at $16/hr is pretty good, and full benefits too! Keep in mind MTA started new drivers as LABO drivers, now new drivers can get a 40 hour week, I'm sure they're happy.

 

People come from driving a school bus to a transit bus because there is more school bus work and these people look for a 40 hour week and 12 months of employment. MTA filled all of the work by giving senior drivers a lot of over time. To keep costs down Veolia spreads the work out in 40 hour weeks, so of course their will be a need for more drivers. Where do you think these drivers come from? Do you just press a button and poof, drivers with decades of experience show up? Of course Veolia has to teach EXPERIENCED COMMERCIAL DRIVERS how to drive a transit bus, no one is born knowing the routes, people make mistakes and any good driver is cautious when driving new equipment. So at the beginning (this is still the beginning) a logical person would expect to see more new drivers (and expect these new drivers to have a learning curve) because Veolia needs more drivers to run the system the way they do. After a couple of years, you will see less new drivers and less mistakes will be made because the drivers are more seasoned. What can you do? Go back to a system paying out ridiculous overtime to senior drivers to limit new drivers, a system that broke the bank once, just to keep pine power & friends happy?

 

 

Responding to this part in paticular here,

$30,000 a year, is NOT that much. Maybe if you're a single person, but if you have a family of four to feed, that is not alot. Hell, a 1 bedroom apartment in the city would cost over $20,000 in rent alone.

[Burrstone]

Who the hell is this guy? He must have stock in Veolia,the way he defends this piss-poor operation. Get real!

 

 

How about you tell me what I said that you disagree with and go from there. I don't own stock in Veolia, if I did coming here and "defending" nice hereisn't going to do anything for the stock price. lol. I don't work for Veolia or the MTA, this is just how I see. While some are foaming mad, I see it for what it is and the big picture. Does nice have problems, sure, but I don't hunk it is as bad as some people make it out to be. I think it is a problem with certain lines. If you notice certain lines are mentioned over and over. I think it's a work in progress, as these problems get hammered out and as the new drivers they needed to run the system will get

more experience things will get better. I think things will be a lot better.

 

 

 

Responding to this part in paticular here,

$30,000 a year, is NOT that much. Maybe if you're a single person, but if you have a family of four to feed, that is not alot. Hell, a 1 bedroom apartment in the city would cost over $20,000 in rent alone.

 

 

That's starting salary and everyone has to start somewhere, and it's more than a lot of school bus driving jobs in the area pay. they can only go up from there (how long does it take to reach top pay)? A lot of people with bachelors degrees enter the job market making about the same as drivers starting out at nice. Entry level jobs aren't going to make anyone rich, they are designed to get your foot into a career not support 4 kids, but you a house and a car. Gotta pay your dues in ANY industry you get into...

[B35 via Church]

Asking Pinepower what he does for a living is like asking for peace in the middle east...

 

word.

 

....add to that, asking this guy to make up his god damn mind.... Seriously.

man, I guarantee if by some miracle the MTA were to take back operations of Nassau's routes, he'd come up with a couple of unfortunate circumstances & scream to the top of his lungs on how bad of a damn job the MTA's doing.....

[FamousNYLover]

I got on 12:50 n32 Hempstead #1723 boarded at Seagirt Blvd/Crest St, then got broke down at Broadway/Johnson Place with estimate 40 people were on it and next one we got on #1556 on 13:30 n32 Hempstead departed 15:59 and had driver changed at Lynbrook Station, which causes our 13:30 arrival at HTC were 14:28, and end up arriving 14:43 (Crushloaded)

I'm at Hempstead Library going to 15:15pm n70 to MTA Public Hearing.

[PinePower]

I got on 12:50 n32 Hempstead #1723 boarded at Seagirt Blvd/Crest St, then got broke down at Broadway/Johnson Place with estimate 40 people were on it and next one we got on #1556 on 13:30 n32 Hempstead departed 15:59 and had driver changed at Lynbrook Station, which causes our 13:30 arrival at HTC were 14:28, and end up arriving 14:43 (Crushloaded)

I'm at Hempstead Library going to 15:15pm n70 to MTA Public Hearing.

 

 

Yet another example of the NICE Bus service we are getting. LIB had their problems but NICE is sinking it to new levels. I'm so glad I spoke at the hearing and urged them to take back Nassau Bus service.

All you NICE Bus fans you ride it everyday, even better how about driving it? Cause I havent met one bus driver here thats happy with NICE, ditto for passengers.

Hound is 100 percent correct, he drove for LIB for the past 20 years and a few months for NICE before he had enough, so he knows what he's talking about! better come back and unwrap the buses and Mangano's agenda. Too bad if we had a guv with balls mangano would be in jail for nonpayment of MTA subsidy and LIB would still be here.

[FamousNYLover]

There was rude new female driver on 15:15 n70 Melville #1786 who refused to tell transit advocate if ramps was working.

And not only that, she also refused to help me with direction to Farmingdale Station bus stop, which was EXTREME RUDE and she was NOT PASSENGER COURTESY, so I call friend of my who works for TWU Local 252, Cindy Tropeano (Hound, LI Bus Operator, twenty22 and PinePower knows) and call up customer service for NICE Bus, which male answered and he was not helpful either, so even NICE Bus Customer Service hotline isn't NICE. I was overcharge $2.25 on Regular MetroCard because farebos wouldn't read my card and she refused to move her bus until I paid my fare. It was working when I used on , n20L Limited, n27, n15, n33, Q22, n32 buses.

After the meeting, when I swipe my 30-Day MetroCard, it was working.

[Vistausss]

I better open topics in every part of this forum... let's see how many people can rant about MTA, LIRR, Amtrak, etc.

 

Come on people, you're turning this into a rant. If you really wanna prove you're right then go and start a petition asking everyone to give their opinion if they're happy with NICE or not. Then publish the results here.

 

Of course some people may dislike it. You know what? You can't make everyone happy. Go ahead and go ask LIRR riders if they like LIRR. I bet that at least 1/3rd will say they don't. Then go do the same with other companies.

[Burrstone]

Hound is 100 percent correct, he drove for LIB for the past 20 years and a few months for NICE before he had enough, so he knows what he's talking about!

He had enough? So he left? Or was he shown the door? Hound, you left a CDL B job paying you $1,080 week? Did you retire? If not, what CDL B job did you find on the island making anything close to what you made at nice.

 

Too bad if we had a guv with balls mangano would be in jail for nonpayment of MTA subsidy and LIB would still be here.

 

If you and I have a business relationship and you present a ridiculous bill to me, me not paying it is a CIVIL matter not CRIMINAL.

 

better come back and unwrap the buses and Mangano's agenda.

What about the buses that have been painted and the 1840+ that carry the nice livery? Wouldn't it be smarter to rebrand the system MTA NICE...?

 

Yet another example of the NICE Bus service we are getting. LIB had their problems but NICE is sinking it to new levels. I'm so glad I spoke at the hearing and urged them to take back Nassau Bus service.

All you NICE Bus fans you ride it everyday, even better how about driving it? Cause I havent met one bus driver here thats happy with NICE, ditto for passengers.

word.

 

....add to that, asking this guy to make up his god damn mind.... Seriously.

man, I guarantee if by some miracle the MTA were to take back operations of Nassau's routes, he'd come up with a couple of unfortunate circumstances & scream to the top of his lungs on how bad of a damn job the MTA's doing.....

 

 

This morning I thought "man, I wish MTA would take LIB over," because when people keep on bitching about I'd be lmao and having a grand old time in 5 years when MTA says they'll be running a skeleton system unless they get the ridiculous funding. Oh yea and I'm gonna get drunk and come on the forums and anytime anything happens or anyone is pissed I'm going say "that wasn't very nice of the MTA, was it." LMAO it's going to be great.

[User]

 

He had enough? So he left? Or was he shown the door? Hound, you left a CDL B job paying you $1,080 week? Did you retire? If not, what CDL B job did you find on the island making anything close to what you made at nice.

 

I believe he retired. But let him say it, I'm not entirely sure.

[Burrstone]

I was thinking about this yesterday and what hound about the synchronized lights, maybe this is something Veolia can work with Nassau on. But considering the problam seems to be NY DOT lights I, NY can be a huge pain in the ass when with any lights. Coming from what I've seen with a few community complaints I have seen about lights I've seen in area's I lived in. Maybe if a NY Senator gets involved something could done.

 

I was also thinking about the lights a few days ago after reading Pine Power's post about the problems and traffic on the day before thanksgiving.

 

Has anyone noticed after power has been restored to the lights after Sandy, more and more seem to out of sync backing up traffic? It's like they restored power to all of the lights but no effect has been made to restore the lights to whatever order they had been designed for.

[FamousNYLover]

Vistauss, Burrstone, Joel F. Front, have you read review of Veolia Transportation which were on glassbar.com, that most US transit agency employees that contracted with Veolia isn't happy with Veolia either.

[Burrstone]

Vistauss, Burrstone, Joel F. Front, have you read review of Veolia Transportation which were on glassbar.com, that most US transit agency employees that contracted with Veolia isn't happy with Veolia either.

 

 

...and have you read the review for First Transit & MV Transport on glassdoor.com ?

[NY1635]

What would happen if the MTA were to retake over Nassau's bus network? Will the MTA even restore bus service back to it's pre April 8, 2012 levels?

[qjtransitmaster]

What would happen if the MTA were to retake over Nassau's bus network? Will the MTA even restore bus service back to it's pre April 8, 2012 levels?

 

no way but I can be wrong

 

...and have you read the review for First Transit & MV Transport on glassdoor.com ?

 

don't take him seriously. not worth the trouble.

[Vistausss]

Vistauss, Burrstone, Joel F. Front, have you read review of Veolia Transportation which were on glassbar.com, that most US transit agency employees that contracted with Veolia isn't happy with Veolia either.

 

 

Again: no one is perfect. Now if you don't stop this rant I'm gonna rant in other forums whenever does something wrong saying how terrible they are. Because that is what you do to NICE. You know, it's not that bad to complain. Even the best agencies make mistakes. But all you and little PinePower do is complain. What about the good things NICE does? Sometimes it's also nice to give them a shoutout when they do something good.

 

You know, I also complain a lot about the railways in my country on Twitter. But whenever they do something right or nice, I also give them a shoutout on Twitter. The art of complaining is to do it when needed. Don't go just rant whenever you see the chance. Let 'em hear the good hings too because no company is 100% evil. Every company does something good every once in a while and they deserve to hear that.

[PinePower]

I was thinking about this yesterday and what hound about the synchronized lights, maybe this is something Veolia can work with Nassau on. But considering the problam seems to be NY DOT lights I, NY can be a huge pain in the ass when with any lights. Coming from what I've seen with a few community complaints I have seen about lights I've seen in area's I lived in. Maybe if a NY Senator gets involved something could done.

 

I was also thinking about the lights a few days ago after reading Pine Power's post about the problems and traffic on the day before thanksgiving.

 

Has anyone noticed after power has been restored to the lights after Sandy, more and more seem to out of sync backing up traffic? It's like they restored power to all of the lights but no effect has been made to restore the lights to whatever order they had been designed for.

 

 

That is an excellent point. I've been complaining about out of sync lights for the longest time. Since Veolia is very budget conscious, I'm surprised they haven't suggested the county install a traffic light priority system for the buses. But that is complicated by the state roads, which have NYS DOT traffic signals (and even more out of sync). But I have noticed in Suffolk County all the traffic lights change for emergency vehicles, even on state roads, so it could be done in Nassau County. By having green lights for buses, the fuel and time savings would be enormous. Of course having the lights in sync would also help. The problem is all the traffic lights should be controlled via a central computer, but they are all individually programmed. And officials claim that having them out of sync slows down traffic and makes roads safer. But I see the opposite, frustrated drivers will speed up and run lights, because often stopping will make you miss all the others.

[PinePower]

...and have you read the review for First Transit & MV Transport on glassdoor.com ?

 

 

I know it sounds like we're hating on Veolia, but I've said again and again it's how they make budget. All of those companies operate the same way, come in and promise the world to system owners having budget issues, saying they can run it for much less. But they do that by cutting maintainance costs, which results in more failures and breakdowns. They cut labor costs, forcing experienced senior drivers out and lower paid inexperienced workers in. It's the only way they can run these systems for less. Yes the has bloated managament but cutting that alone wouldn't have been enough. I'm not calling Veolia evil, all I'm saying is they are just doing what they have to do to keep their promise of running the level of service they said.

[Burrstone]

The answer is not the MTA, the answer would be a STATE RUN transit system!

[Joel Up Front]

I'm disappointed with how bad it is for non-drivers here. And the 's bureaucracy. And NICE's attempts at making itself look like Jesus.

[qjtransitmaster]

Again: no one is perfect. Now if you don't stop this rant I'm gonna rant in other forums whenever does something wrong saying how terrible they are. Because that is what you do to NICE. You know, it's not that bad to complain. Even the best agencies make mistakes. But all you and little PinePower do is complain. What about the good things NICE does? Sometimes it's also nice to give them a shoutout when they do something good.

 

You know, I also complain a lot about the railways in my country on Twitter. But whenever they do something right or nice, I also give them a shoutout on Twitter. The art of complaining is to do it when needed. Don't go just rant whenever you see the chance. Let 'em hear the good hings too because no company is 100% evil. Every company does something good every once in a while and they deserve to hear that.

I know it sounds like we're hating on Veolia, but I've said again and again it's how they make budget. All of those companies operate the same way, come in and promise the world to system owners having budget issues, saying they can run it for much less. But they do that by cutting maintainance costs, which results in more failures and breakdowns. They cut labor costs, forcing experienced senior drivers out and lower paid inexperienced workers in. It's the only way they can run these systems for less. Yes the has bloated managament but cutting that alone wouldn't have been enough. I'm not calling Veolia evil, all I'm saying is they are just doing what they have to do to keep their promise of running the level of service they said.

smartest thing you said all topic. thank you pinepower who knew you had it in ya.

The answer is not the MTA, the answer would be a STATE RUN transit system!

Do you have a CLUE how Huge NYS really is? You should be telling this to CT and MD and Mass which need STATE RUN transit systems MORE!!!! NY is TOO HUGE FOR STATE RUN plus the state subsidizes several lines all over the state. TrailwaysNY will HATE YOU for that. In reality many rural lines need to be combined with trailways lines OR restructured to make long-distance intercity lines.

I'm disappointed with how bad it is for non-drivers here. And the 's bureaucracy. And NICE's attempts at making itself look like Jesus.

truer words can't be spoken. everything sucks but I make it work by improvising with LIRR to another route.

[Vistausss]

Intercity lines? Not sure if it's a good idea to dive into that. Greyhound and others are doing very well on that.