For instance, would a state/MTA Long Island Bus bail-out be fair to Suffolk County, which picks up the tab for 34% of Suffolk Transit's operating budget? How would Westchester view such a development? The northern suburb has also shown signs of interest in getting out of the bus business, contributing a smaller share (about 11.5%) to its bus operations than its Long Island counterparts. What about state-local transit relationships elsewhere?

Growth of suburban job markets and traffic congestion call for a stronger role for local suburban transit. Suffolk Transit, although smaller than Long Island Bus, could probably find more riders now with more frequent service, and could well see steadily increasing rider demand in coming years. And NY State DOT is calling for development of a much more robust intra-Island bus system than exists presently. There is no clear forum for addressing these issues, but with suburban counties headed south on bus funding, the time is ripe for state and regional officials to create one.



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