Although the economy has slumped and LIRR ridership saw a 2% drop last year, 2002 was the busiest year in Long Island Bus’ 29-year history. Mitch Pally of the Long Island Association told Newsday he believed the divergence of rail and bus trends is attributable in part to the fact that more and more Long Islanders work on Long Island.

L.I. Bus’ continued success is all the more remarkable given the agency’s orphan status. Nassau County wants to stop funding it, and chips away at its contribution to bus operations every year. But no dedicated MTA revenue stream exists to take up the slack. Long Island Bus would do even better if this problem was addressed head on, with state legislation specifying new revenue, rather than occasionally via the threat of service cuts. 

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