Nassau County will receive $42 million in federal funding to upgrade the Nassau Inter-County Express bus system, a major investment that includes new low-emission buses and long-needed rehabilitation work at the aging Rockville Centre bus depot.
Congresswoman Laura Gillen, who pushed for the funding earlier this year in meetings with Federal Transit Administration leadership, said the award will help modernize transit infrastructure across the South Shore.
“I am delighted to help deliver $42 million in federal grant funding to Nassau County that will help upgrade the NICE bus fleet and make station improvements to the County facility,” she said in the Nov. 20 statement. “Improving transportation options and reliability will directly benefit families, residents, and businesses across Long Island’s South Shore. I’m proud to advocate for Long Islanders on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and will continue to work with our local partners to bring federal dollars back home to Nassau County.”
The grant will allow NICE to replace 28 buses at the end of their service life with new compressed natural gas vehicles while supporting major structural and functional improvements at the Rockville Centre depot.
The depot, located on Banks Avenue, was once a fixture of Nassau’s transit system. Originally built for the private Bee Line bus company, it later became part of county-run operations and for decades supported South Shore routes. Its role diminished after NICE assumed operations in 2012, and in 2017, the agency suspended active use of the building as part of cost-saving measures, shifting employees to the Mitchel Field facility.
In recent years, the site has primarily housed retired or out-of-service buses.
NICE has also evaluated the depot as a potential future electric-bus charging hub, given its industrial setting and capacity for modernization.
A NICE spokesman said the agency is still working through the details with Nassau County, having only been recently notified of the grant, and is not prepared to comment further.
