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Vol. 5 No. 51
AM OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE INCORPORATED VILLAQE OF FARMINGDALE
SERVING GREATER FARMINGDALE, BETHPAGE & MELVILLE
Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N„ Y. 11735 Thursday, August 8, 1968
PROPOSE IMPROVE
DALER BUS SERVICE County Executive Eugene H.
Nickerson called this week for a
basic restructuring of bus operations
in Nassau County. The
Nickerson plan, announced at a
press conference in his Mineola
office, would require reorganization
of the present 16 privately
owned bus companies into three
coordinated systems.
Stating that the need of county
residents for better bus service
" must be met with decisive and
effective action," Nickerson revealed
that meetings with the bus
company operators, for Jie purpose
of working out details of the
new plan, will begin Wednesday
at the Nassau County Planning
Commission.
The County Executive's reorganization
plan followed by one
day the release of a technical
report which criticized bus
service in the county and warned
of an " impossible burden on highway
systems" if remedial action
is not taken.
To solve the central problems
spotlighted by the report - " a
total lack of coordination among
the various operators" and " an
absence of direct service to principal
destinations" - Nickerson
oroposes that only three basic
franchises be issued when the
current 16 franchises expire at
the end of the year.
Each of the three franchises
would go to a combination of bus
companies, grouped on the basis
of the general areas served with
the objective of creating through
routes with a minimum need for
transfers in reaching principal
destinations.
Nickerson emphasized that the
current bus companies could
maintain their own corporate
structures under the new plan.
He said the advice and experience
of the bus operators would be welcomed
by County representatives
in the working sessions which will
be necessary to bring the new
system into effect.
The technical report was prepared
by the Nassau County Planning
Commission with the help
of Consultant, Simpson and Cur-tin
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and Planning Director John Cal-breath
Burdis.
The suggestion to improve bus
transportation in Farmingdale
was to inaugurate bus transportation
to the industrial areas
on route 110 and 109. A route
originating in Hempstead would
be changed to a direct route
to Massapequa instead of a change
in Freeport.
The preparation of the report
has been financed in part through
a grant from the United States
Department of Housing and Ur-br
i Development under ! Jie provision
of the Urban Mass Transportation
Act of 1964.
According to Richard Guido
of Concepts, the bus companies
have been working with the County
for the past two years and are
in general agreement with many
of the suggestions they made
However, the one area of disagreement
is funding. Most bus
companies do not make much
of a profit; many have lost monies
in specific year. Originally Nassau
County Executive was for
Nassau County subsidy. Now,
it seems, he is veering away from
Getting ready for the hose laying portion of a series of competition
events this Sunday with nine other Fire Departments are four members
of the South Farm'ngdale contingent. Pictured are ( 1. to r.) Mike Bier,
Paul Walukiewicz, John O'Briskie and Joseph Madison. ,?<* » •• Photo
County funds.. He will look into
State and Federal Funding however.
The proposed three systems
would group current bus ines as
follows:
Group A - Bee Line, Inc.,
Rockville Centre Bus Corp.,
Utility Lines, Inc., and Stage
Coach Lines, Inc., and Branch
Bus Corp.
Group B- SchenckTransportation
Co., Inc., Nassau Bus Line,
Inc., and Universal Autobus Service,
inc.
Group C - Hempstead Bus
Corp., Mid- Island Transit System,
Inc., Jerusalem Ave. Bus
Line, Inc., Semke Bus Line, Inc.,
Hendrickson Bus Corp., and
Roosevelt Bus Line, Inc.
The County Executive noted
that some of the companies designated
to be grouped together into
systems already have ties in
their corporate structures.
He stressed that the proposed
reorganization of the system was
not an end in itself but was " an
essential step toward the improvements
which are desperated
needed."
Among these improvements he
listed ( 1) convenient access to
railroad stations, ( 2) coordination
of service at interchange
points, ( 3) provision of transfers
at minimum charge to passengers,
( 4) revision of zone
fares to eliminate inequities, ( 5)
uniform information service for
the public, ( 6) special service to
points generating high traffic.
Nickerson's plan would make
the reorganization and the
specific objectives for improved
service an integral part of the
franchises to be granted by the
County starting January 1, 1969.
Continuation of the franchises
would be contingent upon satisfactory
implementation of the
program.
The meetings with the bus
operators will be conducted by
the Planning Commission, Nickerson
said, " because the Commission
staff knows the transportation
needs of the County." John
Calbreath Burdis, director of
planning for the Commission,
was present at the press conference
together with several
transportation specialists qp the
Commission staff.
Also present was Edward J.
Morris, director of transportation
and franchise, whose department
cooperated in the production
of the technical study r e leased
Monday.
on December 31, 1968, the
current operating franchises issued
by Nassau County will expire.
These have been in effect
for the past five years and are
issued to sixteen companies
under the franchise consent
power of the County.
The present system of bus
operations has not proved to be
in the public interest. A great
many deficiencies exist which
have been deatiled in the publication,
" Technical Report No.
1 - Nassau County Bus System -
An analysis of Present Service;;
prepared by the Planning Commission.
The issuance of sixteen
separate franchises has fostered
the uncoordinated situation that
now exists.
Nassau County proposes to
effectuate change in the level of
bus service through the creation
of three " systems." These
" systems" have been designed
to maintain the individual corporate
structures of the existing
companies, but at the same time
to facilitate 100 percent cooperation
and coordination.
Essentially, three basic franchises
would be issued, each detailing
the companies to comprise
each " system" and the service
objectives desired in each of
these systems. Cooperation and
coordination will be needed in
order to achieve the following
standards:
1.) Through route - as much
service as possible to eliminate
bus transfers, both inter and
intro- company.
2.) Routes should be revised
so as to provide convenient access
to railroad stations.
3.) Coordination of service at
particular interchange points to
facilitate transfers with a minimum
of inconvenience and delay.
4.) Operation of service during
similar periods each day to
facilitate coordination.
5.) Provision of transfers between
routes within a system,
even though different companies
may be involved, and for not
more than a one fare zone increment
charge.
6.) A uniform information
service is to be maintained in
each system under which each
company would provide detailed
service information on all of the
other companies.
7.) Revision of zone fares to
eiliminate inequities and provide
for charges on a reasonably uniform
basis.
8.) Consideration should be
given to provision of speical
services to high traffic generators
( univerisities, hospitals,
etc.) and connecting those to
major interchange points.
Achievement of the service
objectives must be accomplished
during the course of a
two- to- three yeai \>< riod. Implementation
will be mandatory, as
these objectives me to be an
( Continurd <> n Pag8 12)
