Neighbor News
NICE Loop Bus and New LIRR Schedule Changes
NICE was not advised in advance of the LIRR schedule changes, leaving Loop Bus riders frustrated.
(MINEOLA, N.Y.) - Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) met with NICE Bus President Jack Khzouz and long-time Port Washington resident Bill Bodkin on Wednesday, March 8 to discuss the effects of the new LIRR schedules on the Port Washington Loop Bus Shuttle.
Their conversation focused on how Transdev officials were not provided with adequate information about the LIRR’s new train schedules before the start of service to Grand Central Madison, which made it impossible to proactively amend existing bus routes that were timed to the LIRR Penn schedule. Mr. Khzouz advised Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton that current contractual agreements set forth the time periods when the shuttle schedule can be changed to match up with LIRR service, but that Transdev officials were actively negotiating potential adjustments to better serve commuters.
“Riders are frustrated, and it is essential for us to synchronize the Loop Bus schedule with the new LIRR schedule,” Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton said. “I appreciate Mr. Khzouz’s commitment to resolving this issue and reaching out to our partners in labor so that we can help Port Washington commuters by implementing necessary changes as quickly as possible.”
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Launched as the Shore Road Shuttle in early 2019 with hopes of addressing parking shortages at the Port Washington LIRR station and lowering carbon emissions by reducing the number of cars on the road, service was expanded later that spring to create the Port Washington Shuttle. Mr. Khzouz stated that shuttle ridership is at about 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels and that there has been no major change in usage since the new train schedules were instituted. As was the case before, Tuesday and Wednesday are still the busiest days.
In addition to addressing shuttle service route changes, Mr. Khzouz also mentioned plans to incorporate LIRR train destinations in the Loop Bus schedule.
Find out what's happening in Port Washingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The amount of State funding that is now available to support programs like this Loop Bus is very encouraging, and these resources enable programs like this to continue as well as considering similar programs in other areas in the future. Contact Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton’s office about this or any other topic at 516-571-6211 or dderigginwhitton@nassaucountyny.gov.
