Taxi to replace Rockville Centre Loop bus

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At the Jan. 4 village board of trustees meeting, Larry Blessinger of All Island Taxi presented a proposal to replace the N14 — also known as the Rockville Centre Loop — with a van in the morning and afternoon.

In November, Nassau County approved the elimination of 10 bus routes ­— including two of the three lines through Rockville Centre. One, the N14, runs from the village train station to DeMott Avenue and Long Beach Road. The cuts will go into effect on Jan. 17.

“After getting some data from the bus company and looking over everything, I’m willing to try a 30-day trial period of having a 14-passenger van keep the same service that NICE bus was providing,” said Blessinger. The bus would run from 5:49 a.m. to 8:37 a.m., and 3:55 p.m. to 6:55 p.m., he said, to keep the same schedule as the N14. The pick up will be in front of All-Island Taxi’s office on Front Street.

The van would cost $4 a person each way. The regular fare for a NICE bus is $2.75, with discounts for seniors, students and the disabled.

The Rockville Centre Loop was one of the least-traveled routes. According to NICE, the route carries five passengers per trip.

Trustee Ed Oppenheimer asked if All-Island Taxi would try to match the schedule to the LIRR schedule. He said that he often heard complaints that N14 bus schedule did not match up with the arrival and departure of trains to Rockville Centre.

Blessinger said he had no problem adjusting the schedule. “I just wanted to keep things initially the same as it was right now,” he said. “I’ve gotten very limited data, so I think it’s going to be a little bit of a work in progress just to make sure that the residents are happy, to make sure it’s cohesive for everybody.”

Blessinger said that people could call his office at (516) 326-9090 x348 if they had any questions.