“NICE” career serving others

Brian Wharton, a Nassau Inter-County Express Bus senior operator, recently celebrated his 50th year of service to the agency.

Wharton, who grew up in Hicksville and now lives in Selden, began working at what was then Nassau County Bus in 1973, driving a route from Hempstead to Glen Cove. He was in the first operator class for Nassau County’s Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority and remained with the service when it became NICE a decade ago.

“I am proud to be part of a vital service that offers many of our county’s residents the ability to get to work, school, medical appointments or stores on a daily basis,” Wharton said in a statement. “The job can be challenging at times, but if you remain calm and steady you can handle anything thrown your way. I look forward to taking the wheel each and every day to keep Nassau moving.”