LA buses and Long Island Bus both carry primarily people who are going to work, 69% in L.A. and 70% in Nassau. The temporary elimination of service in L.A. on the first weekday of the strike increased traffic volumes on the already jammed freeways by 5%, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Although L.A.'s buses carry approximately 400,000 people daily - almost four times as many people as LI Bus's recent high of 110,000 - the traffic consequences for Nassau may be more severe. In L.A. 68% of all bus riders do not have driver's licenses. However, according to a 1998 customer survey, 80% of all Long Island Bus riders own cars and cuts to service could be expected to push them to drive.