New L.I. Bus operator meets potential employees

Nassau County’s soon-to-be new public bus system operator, Veolia Transportation Inc., held a job fair of sorts for potential employees earlier this month.
Veolia representatives spent about nine hours between Sept. 14 and 15 discussing career opportunities with more than 200 Long Island Bus workers, currently employed by LI Bus operator Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

All LI Bus workers will be technically unemployed as of Dec. 31, when the MTA effectively terminates its contract with the county; many of those workers will likely look to begin working for Veolia, which will assume day-to-day responsibility for operating the system on Jan. 1, 2012. According to Veolia, LI Bus employees picked up more than 800 paper applications throughout that weekend.

The changes come as a result of County Executive Ed Mangano’s decision to privatize the county’s bus system following disagreements with the MTA over funding. In June, an RFP panel that was formed the previous year chose Veolia to operate the county’s system in a public-private partnership. Nassau County will retain oversight in critical areas such as setting fares and service levels, and will continue to own all bus system assets, including busses, terminals, depots and equipment.

“The decision by the county to take control of its bus system was the right one,” Mangano said in a statement, “and partnering with a leading transportation management company like Veolia helps ensure that the system is more stable and that quality transit jobs are more secure.”

He went on to say that the “HR meetings” held on Sept. 14 and 15 are the beginning of a hiring process in which LI Bus employees will have preference for jobs in the Nassau bus system. Drivers, maintenance technicians, information technology and administrative staff, and other were represented at the meetings, which included extensive question and answer sessions and presentations by Mike Setzer, Veolia’s CEO for the county bus system, General Manager Roger Chapin and Regional Director of Human Resources Sheila Talley.

Attendees were urged to submit their completed applications for positions with Veolia by Sept. 30 in order to be included in a “preferred” group of job candidates; current Long Island Bus and Veolia employees are being given preference in hiring.
“We have been very impressed with the hundreds of Long Island Bus employees we have met,” said Setzer, who previously served as chief executive of bus systems in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, St. Louis and Cincinnati. “The Long Island Bus folks are outstanding transit professionals and we look forward to working with them to provide excellent service to the riding public.”

The change in bus operators won’t mean much for the county’s 100,000 average daily riders: fares, which are currently $2.25, and bus routes will remain steady throughout the year, but are subject to change pending ongoing contract negotiations. According to county officials, it will cost about $106 million to fund the new transportation system. The Long Island Bus budget is currently $141 million. Funding for the new budget would come from fare revenue and state and federal aid. While the county will contribute between $2.5 million and $4 million to the budget, Veolia expects to attract new riders and raise more fare revenue.

The MTA voted to terminate its contract with Nassau County in April, after the county refused to contribute more into the system: the MTA had demanded that the county increase its 2011 subsidy from $9 million to $26 million and threatened to cut services if the county did not comply.

Veolia has scheduled two additional job fairs for those interested in positions at Long Island Bus. The first fair will be help on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 1 to 8 p.m. Current LI Bus employees are welcome at both that fair and the second fair, to be held on Friday, Sept. 30, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Members of the general public who currently do not work for LI Bus are invited only to the Sept. 30 meeting. Both events will be held at the Long Island Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, located at 101 James Doolittle Blvd. in Uniondale. Current Long Island Bus employees are being given preference in hiring.

Veolia is seeking entry-level through managerial-level positions in all areas including operations, maintenance and support functions. The fairs will focus on the following positions: Dispatch/call center, maintenance, bus drivers (commercial drivers license needed), paratransit drivers, diesel engine technicians, bus cleaners/fuelers, operations, safety, training, supervisors and front-line operations staff. Attendees are encouraged to be prepared to fill out applications and interview, and should bring their resumes, driver licenses and other important documents.

Go to www.libusinfo.com for more information on career opportunities.