NICE unveils bus route cuts, improvements

Just two months into delivering bus service to Nassau County riders, Veolia Transportation is ready to reduce service on certain routes while increasing it on others.

As of April 8, some riders will wait longer at stops, and some weekend service will be eliminated. But the service redesign, meant to help fill a budget gap, will also include additional buses on highly trafficked routes.

The changes will affect nearly every route of the Nassau Inter-County Express system, which is run by Veolia Transportation and carries more than 100,000 riders on weekdays. Veolia, a private company, took over Nassau’s bus system from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Jan. 1.

A number of riders will see wait times between buses increase from 10 to 12 minutes, while wait times on other routes will go from 30 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, certain lines, like the N72 between Hempstead and Babylon, will see increased service during peak commuting hours. Other improvements include the addition of N6 and N22 express lines, which will run to Jamaica Station. Additionally, the N14 morning service will operate every 20 to 25 minutes, timed to the express trains from Rockville Centre to Penn Station. Afternoon service will operate every 20 to 25 minutes, timed to the express trains arriving at Rockville Centre from Penn Station.

The redesign is meant to make the NICE system more efficient as well as to save money, officials said. Veolia has “already created about $35 million in efficiency savings and productivity gains,” NICE CEO Mike Setzer said. But the additional service changes are necessary to fill a budget gap; the cuts are estimated to save $7.2 million.