A federal mediator is trying to break the deadlock, in its fifth week as of this writing, between bus workers and Liberty Bus Lines, the company that runs Westchester’s local mass transit service. Newspaper commentary has called the dispute, which has caused all bus service to cease, a "quiet disaster" that is causing schoolchildren to stay home, transit-dependent people to lose jobs and increasing hardships for bus workers themselves.

The impasse could also hurt the bus system in longer-term ways. Although the attitude of many transit managers is that their customers have nowhere else to go, a prolonged service stoppage will lead some riders to change routines or find other transportation. Lower ridership could mean even smaller revenue and worse service than before.

Westchester may be able to turn that situation around if it is finally able to implement free transfers between its buses and subways in the Bronx, but that step has already been delayed many times because of the bus system’s anemic funding.

The county and the bus workers have a big common agenda in getting Albany to put together a reasonable financing package for New York’s suburban bus systems. We hope the parties can reach agreement and move on to that problem. 

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