Lawmakers move to restore bus system cuts

County leaders announced $3 million in new funding for the Nassau Inter-County Express bus system last week, saying they hoped the money would be used to restore 11 routes that were eliminated last month.

NICE is operated by Transdev, a private company that county officials selected in 2011 through a competitive bidding process. The Nassau County Bus Transit Committee, comprising five members appointed by County Executive Ed Mangano and four members appointed by the County Legislature, oversees the system and makes decisions on service- and fare-related issues. In an effort to reduce a $7.5 million budget deficit, bus service officials eliminated 11 of 48 routes — including the N46, N50 and N51, which all ran through East Meadow — on Jan. 17.

The N46 originated at Merrick Road and Centre Avenue in Bellmore, and the route followed parts of Front Street; Merrick, Prospect and East Meadow avenues; and North Jerusalem and Bellmore roads in East Meadow before terminating at the Hempstead Transit Center. The N50 ran from the Hicksville Long Island Rail Road station through Levittown, East Meadow and Bellmore. The N51 originated at the intersection of Hewlett Avenue and Merrick Road in Merrick and made stops in East Meadow, at Nassau Community College and at Roosevelt Field Mall.

The N2/8, N14, N17, N62, N73/74, N80 and N81 routes were also cut.

The transit committee held a public hearing to address the NICE budget gap on Nov. 19, and approved the service reductions afterward. At the meeting, NICE CEO Michael Setzer recommended that the board cut a number of routes and raise the price of both the cash and NICE Go Mobile App fares from $2.50 to $2.75, equaling the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fare.