49.0°,
Fair Not so NICE
East Meadow will lose three bus routes due to budget cuts
The Nassau Inter-County Express bus system will end service for East Meadow riders who use the three buses that are routed throughout the community next week.
NICE is operated by Transdev, a private service provider that county officials selected in 2011 through a competitive bidding process. The Nassau County Bus Transit Committee, comprising five members appointed by County Executive Ed Mangano and two members appointed by the majority and minority of the County Legislature, each, oversees the system and makes final decisions on service- and fare-related issues. In an effort to reduce a $7.5 million budget deficit, bus service officials are eliminating 11 of 48 routes — including the N46, N50 and N51 — on Jan. 17.
The N46 originates at Merrick Road and Centre Avenue in Bellmore, and the route follows parts of Front Street; Merrick, Prospect and East Meadow avenues; and North Jerusalem and Bellmore roads in East Meadow before terminating at the Hempstead Transit Center. According to the NICE website, commuters who use this line will be able to use the N47, which will service all of the same stops between Hempstead and the intersection of Newbridge Road and North Jerusalem.
The N50 runs from the Hicksville Long Island Rail Road station through Levittown, East Meadow and Bellmore. The N51 originates at the intersection of Hewlett Avenue and Merrick Road in Merrick and makes stops in East Meadow, at Nassau Community College and at Roosevelt Field Mall. The other routes being cut are the N2/8, N14, N17, N62, N73/74, N80 and N81.
The Nassau County Bus Transit Committee held a public hearing to address the NICE budget gap on Nov. 19, and approved the service reductions afterward. At the meeting, NICE CEO Michael Setzer recommended that the board cut a number of routes and raise the price of both the cash and NICE Go Mobile App fares from $2.50 to $2.75, equaling the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fare.
