The budget proposed last week by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi continues the process of eliminating county support for Long Island Bus, downstate New York’s most successful suburban bus system. Suozzi proposes to reduce the county’s contribution to the agency by $4.8 million. The cut would amount to over 50% of the county’s contribution to the bus system this year, and about 4.7% of the system’s annual $101 million operating budget.

This spring, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and other civic, labor, and environmental groups urged County Executive Suozzi to put the County’s surplus back into Long Island bus operations to make up for the $2 million the county cut from the agency in anticipation of the MTA fare increase. The request was ignored, and LI Bus riders saw a fare hike with no increase in service. In essence, the County "stole" the fare hike, relying on bus riders to help balance the county budget.

Suozzi’s budget moves are a continuation of his predecessor’s attempt to get the county out of the bus business. In 2001, County Executive Thomas Gulotta cut county aid to Long Island Bus by $7 million. Thanks to hard work by state legislators and local transit, environmental, and labor groups, emergency funding was secured from Albany and bus service was saved. In July of 2001, in response to the cuts, Suozzi vowed that if he was elected County Executive he would "support LI Bus 100%" (MTR #326).

It may or may not be fair for county governments to withdraw from previous mass transit funding commitments. In any case, however, it would be more constructive for them to do it in consultation and negotiation with the affected agencies and the state legislators who will be left holding the bag. Saying the "MTA can afford it" is easy, but MTA operating funds are earmarked for LIRR, NYC Transit and Metro-North and would need to come from somewhere. Where is Suozzi’s proposal to keep Long Island Bus whole? Albany lawmakers who have pulled the agency’s fat out of the fire in the past say they’ve already gone to the limit. A spokesperson from Senator Dean Skelos’ office told Newsday last week that "Quite frankly, there is no more money from the state." 

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