Cuts To Suffolk County Bus Service Could Be Coming: Bellone

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Days after County Executive Steve Bellone announced possible cuts to public safety and healthbarring a massive injection of federal disaster assistance, he said Friday that slashes to public transportation, specifically the Suffolk bus system, could also be coming soon.

For months, Bellone has been calling on elected officials in Washington, D.C. to send aid to Suffolk after the gaping budget shortfall posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

"We need Washington to do its job," Bellone said. "This was a natural disaster." Suffolk County, he added, was at the epicenter of the coronavirus for months, with the first positive case of coronavirus reported on the North Fork on March 9.

Bellone spoke out on Friday, which was also "Car Free Day," a day on which, in the past, he has taken the bus to work to spotlight the importance of public transportation. He reminded that bus drivers carried on throughout the height of the coronavirus crisis, bringing essential employees to work.

If Washington does not act, Bellone said, Suffolk County could be forced to "essentially halve" its bus service, eliminating 19 routes. That measure, he said, could mean $18 million in savings.

Bellone did not immediately outline exactly what bus lines could be eliminated.

"These cuts shouldn't be happening," he said, adding that he hopes Washington can "put politics aside and get this done so we can honor the work of the essential employees who ride those buses — and keep the economy going."

The failure of the federal government to provide disaster aid will "undercut and undermine our recovery," Bellone said, adding that it's still not clear whether another surge will sweep Suffolk or what the flu season will bring.

The impacts of the coronavirus have been "devastating across the board," he said, not just for those who lose loved ones, but in terms of the economy and also, issues including domestic violence, addiction and mental health concerns.

Federal assistance, Bellone added, will allow the county to deal with the "structural imbalance" wrought by COVID-19 in a responsible way over several years, without "catastrophic cuts."

John Corrado of Suffolk Transportation also spoke out. "This county needs a transportation system," he said. Although the bus system lost 40 percent of its ridership during the pandemic, those numbers are rising again. Annually, he said, the bus services is comprised of about 5 million trips per year. "Cuts would be devastating," not just to those who ride the bus and need the service for work and doctor visits – but also, to motorists, who would see many more trying to utilize the county road system in their vehicles.

Bellone said the MTA is also facing potential cuts, with potentially "half" of the service on the Long Island Rail Road hanging in the balance.

"These cuts will hurt some of the most vulnerable in our community," Bellone said, including the disabled.

Frank Krotschinsky, director of the Suffolk County Office for People with Disabilities, said if the cuts are made, "people with disabilities will be disproportionately affected." From 60 percent to 70 percent of the calls his office receives, he said, involve inquires in regard to transportation. "Many with disabilities don't have access to a car," and will not be able to get to work, the doctor, or to visit relatives, without public transportation, he said. "People with disabilities will be very harshly affected. We need the federal government to step up," he said.

On Friday, Bellone also joined Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon to issue a new plea to Congress to deliver federal disaster relief to counties dealing with unprecedented loss of revenues and increased costs caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

Earlier this week, Bellone cited statistics that reflected a drop in crime countywide as he called out, once again, for federal funding he said is desperately needed to prevent cuts to public safety that he said could cripple county police.

After the coronavirus left Suffolk County's budget with a potentially "cataclysmic" shortfall of $1.5 billion, Bellone said recently that cuts to police and public safety could be coming soon without federal disaster assistance.

"This is not a political issue," Bellone said.

Not everyone agreed with Bellone. Suffolk County Legislator Robert Trotta spoke out against what he said was Bellone's fiscal mismanagment, saying that Bellone has used the word 'unprecedented' many times.

"The only thing 'unprecedented' here is the absolute incompetence of a county executive, blaming all his problems on the coronavirus. . . Mr. Bellone, look in the mirror. This is your fault. The chickens have come home to roost. This is on your back. You have mismanaged this county to no end," Trotta said.