news Nassau County Budget Proposal Underfunds NICE Bus Once Again

[User]

 

http://blog.tstc.org/2013/09/19/nassau-county-budget-proposal-underfunds-nice-bus-once-again/

 

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano released his $2.79 billion 2014 Proposed Budget earlier this week, and unfortunately for Nassau County Inter-County Express (NICE) riders, no new transit funding was included in his budget plan. For the third year in a row, the County Executive is proposing to keep the County’s contribution to its bus system at a paltry $2.5 million. According to the budget’s Executive Summary, this level of funding only exists because it is a “mandated County match to the STOA (State Transit Operating Assistance) program.”

 

While New York State has tried to pick up the funding slack by contributing 20 percent more to the bus system since NICE replaced Long Island Bus in 2012, and riders have seen a fare hike totaling $3 million, Nassau County has stubbornly refused to take its responsibility to fund its bus system seriously. And in recent months it has become increasingly clear that Nassau County’s failure to prioritize this funding is significantly impacting what was once one of the largest suburban bus systems in the country. Ridership in 2012 was the lowest since 1998 and ridership through July of 2013 is approximately 5 percent lower than 2012 ridership over the same time period. In addition, rider satisfaction rates from 2012 to 2013 have dropped precipitously. According to a NICE survey, overall satisfaction rates for the second quarter of 2013 dropped by 32 points, or nearly 52 percent, from Q2 of 2012 to Q2 of 2013.

 

In order to reverse these troubling trends, the County’s final budget must increase its funding to its beleaguered bus system.

 

According to the contract between Veolia Transportation and Nassau County, the hourly rate to operate fixed-route service is $87.12. That means, even if Nassau County provided just $7.3 million more in this year’s final budget — equal to the total “savings” achieved from last year’s service cuts – NICE would be able to add approximately 83,800 hours of service. The restoration of these hours would almost match the number of hours of service provided under the last year of Long Island Bus operations, according to the National Transit Database, while only representing .26 percent of the County’s proposed $2.79 billion budget.

[Amtrak7]

No matter what your view is of Mangano as a politician, I think we can all agree that his ego is too big. Just look at the cover of the budget!

[Vistausss]

Yeah, even if they upped the budget so that NICE gets 83.000 hours of extra operating time they would still save money compared to what LIB was asking before NICE took over.

[FamousNYLover]

From my email

Since this is part of NICE Bus.

 

 

Yuki, thank you for reaching out, and thank you for fighting to ensure quality bus service.

Tom understands the dilemma that many county residents have faced as a result of poor bus service, which is in part why he has created his New Suburbia Trailblazers plan to improve transportation infrastructure and to created stronger, denser downtowns around train stations.

Regrettably, he is unable to join you for Car Free Day, but he celebrates your role in fighting for more sustainable transportation.

Regards,
Max Azzarello
Operations Director
Friends of Tom Suozzi

[qjtransitmaster]

Well NICE can't do much with so little.

[realizm]

Ridiculous. I don't even commute using NICE and I can clearly see that as usual the games politicians play with funding at the expense of the public who cannot afford automobiles and are dependent on public transportation. New York is the wrong city to mismanage money when it comes to public transportation, how in the world do they expect to solve their financial woes if people cannot even gain access to sufficient transportation to places of employment to keep the economy going in terms of revenue gained from sales of goods and services?

 

These politicians are so underhanded I am running out of proper expletives here to express my thoughts on this.

[MTA Bus]

NICE is always getting the short end of the stick when it comes to their funding. 

[sirtiger]

NICE is always getting the short end of the stick when it comes to their funding. 

 

you must mean the lower income people.

[Turbo19]

I second the egocentric Mangano comments. Why the hell does he need his name twice on each bus NICE operates?

 

On a more relevant note of course Nassau County needs to increase its funding to NICE, though if they manage to keep the level of funding lower than what the MTA was receiving then I'm sure that an accomplishment to them.

[Vistausss]

IMHO, with the way he underfunds NICE and doesn't even do a damn thing to improve the overall traffic flow, Mangano shouldn't even be allowed to have his name on any bus.

[sirtiger]

shouldn't NYS kick in more money as well?  They need to contribute.

[N6 Limited]

shouldn't NYS kick in more money as well?  They need to contribute.

You didn't read the blog?

 

 

While New York State has tried to pick up the funding slack by contributing 20 percent more to the bus system since NICE replaced Long Island Bus in 2012, and riders have seen a fare hike totaling $3 million, Nassau County has stubbornly refused to take its responsibility to fund its bus system seriously

[N6 Limited]

We can blame Mangano but LIB had the same issue with Suozzi.

[PinePower]

We can blame Mangano but LIB had the same issue with Suozzi.

 

Mangano or Suozzi there's no difference, it seems every official in Mineola thinks very little of the bus system & the people on it (save for maybe Carrie Solanges). At least Mangano tried something different, if Suozzi was around we'd maybe have half the system we have now.

[FamousNYLover]

Mangano or Suozzi there's no difference, it seems every official in Mineola thinks very little of the bus system & the people on it (save for maybe Carrie Solanges). At least Mangano tried something different, if Suozzi was around we'd maybe have half the system we have now.

I suggested Carrie Solages should be perfect candiate for County Executive.

[N6 Limited]

Does Carrie Solages actually care though? Or is he pandering for votes?

[Vistausss]

@N6 Limited:

 

"We can blame Mangano but LIB had the same issue with Suozzi."

 

You got that right. But fact is: it's 2013 and NICE is operating now, controlled by Mangano so if anyone's to blame at this very moment it's Mangano.

[PinePower]

Does Carrie Solages actually care though? Or is he pandering for votes?

 

Well he was the only one who has actually rode buses and spoke to the passengers. Wink, Bosworth & the others were just pandering and could care less and would never set foot on a bus since they think they're "too good". And Bosworth is running for N.Hempstead Supervisor, she wont get my vote. I hate people who "fake care" even more than those who are up front. Suozzi and the dems would have us in the same boat, maybe even in a worse boat with only half the system under the MTA. Suozzi refused to pay the MTA more than $9 mil also. I haven't forgotten the numerous times cuts were threatened under the MTA with Suozzi, and only the state or MTA coming in at the last minute to keep the funding. At least Mangano found a way to run it for less so we wouldn't see the skeleton system the MTA would've left us.

And this is coming from someone who couldn't stand Mangano for the longest time, I'm still not a fan, but I'd rather keep him in office than put Suozzi back in. 

[sirtiger]

You didn't read the blog?

 

yes & there is more questions than answers....it said NYS tried to.....It seem ambigious to me

[error46146]

No matter what your view is of Mangano as a politician, I think we can all agree that his ego is too big. Just look at the cover of the budget!

 

Thank you Ed Mangano for not raising my taxes!!!

[N6 Limited]

Thank you Ed Mangano for not raising my taxes!!!

LOL the funny thing is that county taxes aren't the "problem", SCHOOL TAXES are

[Vistausss]

Doesn't matter to me. NICE still rocks.

[Turbo19]

The ridership drops are detrimental, I won't deny that, although they really didn't come as a surprise. The main reason for the drops in riders was attributed to the preliminary loss of service, were a select group who could afford to (financially or otherwise) found other alternatives.

 

Personally though from what I've seen NICE is operating to the best of their ability with the allocated funds they're working with, and in my opinion they're doing better at this point in time than how I had envisioned them at NICE's inception. At the very least that has to count for something.

[Amtrak7]

LOL the funny thing is that county taxes aren't the "problem", SCHOOL TAXES are

 

True.

 

The real Nassau county-level budget problem is the police department. A big chunk (nearly, if not a majority) of property taxes excluding school taxes goes to the police department and the police department headquarters.

 

Some say Mangano has taken a too heavy hand with the police. Whoever is county executive next needs to take an even heavier hand. And headquarters too.

 

Put the saved money into human services, which Mangano loves to cut. (seniors, disabled, transportation, early childhood education)

[N6 Limited]

So what are everyone's opinions on ridership in 2012 being the lowest its ever been since 1998 and then getting 5 percent lower than that this past July?

 

 

The ridership drops are detrimental, I won't deny that, although they really didn't come as a surprise. The main reason for the drops in riders was attributed to the preliminary loss of service, were a select group who could afford to (financially or otherwise) found other alternatives.

 

Personally though from what I've seen NICE is operating to the best of their ability with the allocated funds they're working with, and in my opinion they're doing better at this point in time than how I had envisioned them at NICE's inception. At the very least that has to count for something.

Could be service drops, crowded b uses, unreliable and late. Could it be that people went out and got cars. could  the foreclosures and housing bubble have caused a drop in ridership also?