Bus depot to close in April

Hundreds of people could be without jobs next year after the Nassau Inter-County Express announced earlier this month that it will shut down the Rockville Centre bus depot voted on April 1.

There are roughly 400 employees at the Banks Avenue depot, including mechanics, maintenance people, drivers, utility workers and engineers. NICE’s plan is to combine those workers with the ones at its Garden City facility.

But garage manager Michael Bivona thought there wasn’t enough space to house all of his employees and the depot’s vehicles, which would head to Garden City.

“I don’t think it’s going to work,” said Bivona, who is also unsure of his future with NICE. “You couldn’t fit all of these people over at the other location. There’s going to be a huge layoff.”

Bivona, a father of two who recently purchased a house in Dix Hills, said there was no warning from NICE about the closing. He was summoned to a meeting on Dec. 5 with NICE president

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It’s a shock. They just told us one day that they were shutting down. I was notified a week ago by e-mail and I had to tell all my guys. The morale here is so down.”

Earlier this month, NICE tried to close a $12 million budget by cutting nine routes, including two in Rockville Centre, but the proposal was rejected after the Nassau County Bus Transit committee split its vote on Dec. 7.

Larry Van Wagenen, a mechanic and a member of the Local 252 union who worked for the company since it was known as MTA Long Island Bus, said he is likely safe because of his tenure with the company. But he still feels a sense of helplessness for his co-workers.

“It’s horrible,” he said. “If they close this garage, a lot of people are going to be out of work. It’s just bound to happen. You’re talking about a lot of good, hard-working people. All of these guys are just like us. They try to go home to their families and put food on the table.”

NICE took over from Long Island Bus in 2012.