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Three finalists for LI Bus possible Takeover
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Hart Bus



Age: 73
Joined: 24 Apr 2007
Posts: 1150

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:33 am    Post subject: Three finalists for LI Bus possible Takeover Reply with quote

Article in today's Newsday says that three companies, MV Transit from Fairfield CA., First Transit from Cincinnati, OH. and Veolia Transport, of Lombard, IL. have submitted bids.

Can't see how a system can sustain itself by just the farebox and advertising revenue. Mangano & Co will still have to kick in some $$$$



http://bustalk.info/forum/posting.php?mode=newtopic&f=6
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GBL Rebel
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 608
Location: Long Island, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 8:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't bet on it only being 3 from what I have heard. I have heard talk of another company exploring it options, from someone behind the scenes there. Heard this about a month ago.
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S-60 To Smith Haven Mall




Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 1757
Location: Suffolk County, NY

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GBL Rebel wrote:
Don't bet on it only being 3 from what I have heard. I have heard talk of another company exploring it options, from someone behind the scenes there. Heard this about a month ago.


Heard it from someone behind the scenes of the company?
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GBL Rebel
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 608
Location: Long Island, N.Y.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Heard it from somebody I would not call a liar. Would not be surprised if this person does the holidays with the upper brass.
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S-60 To Smith Haven Mall




Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 1757
Location: Suffolk County, NY

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

GBL Rebel wrote:
Heard it from somebody I would not call a liar. Would not be surprised if this person does the holidays with the upper brass.


I wasn't questioning ur source GBL Rebel, i was asking if the source came from the possible 4th company or from the the other side.

From your reply i'm going to take the guess and say that your source is from the other side.
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GBL Rebel
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 608
Location: Long Island, N.Y.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

S-60 To Smith Haven Mall wrote:
I wasn't questioning ur source GBL Rebel, i was asking if the source came from the possible 4th company or from the the other side.

From your reply i'm going to take the guess and say that your source is from the other side.

Should have been a bit more clear-- Possible 4th company.

edited poor spelling.


Last edited by GBL Rebel on Tue Nov 09, 2010 8:59 am; edited 1 time in total
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Hart Bus



Age: 73
Joined: 24 Apr 2007
Posts: 1150

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 2:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With everything going on policitally speaking, I think that there are many roadblocks for this to go through.

1 - Obviously there would be significant salary reductions. Would the politicians allow this to happen and lose votes?

2 - While the pensions earned to date are guaranteed by the PBGC, I doubt any retirement benefits offered by the PO would be as generous.

3 - Would they have the right to change service, either by adding, subtracting or modifying routes?

4 - Perhaps they could bring in smaller buses for certain routes.

5 - How much rent would they pay to Nassau County for NJL and Rock Centre depots?

6 - How would this agreement hold up if Nassau's finances go in the tank and NIFA takes over the finances of the county. Would any subsidies suddenly dry up? Based on the 2011 proposed budget, there are claims that it isn't balanced or is balanced on dubious assumptions. Unless the subsidies are guaranteed with a surety bond, it would be foolish to even bid on the contract.

7 - Wouldn't the MTA and or LI Bus have to be paid for unused parts and supplies?

8 - Who owns the buses? If its Nassau County what would the rental fee be? Who pays for the replacement buses when the buses get too old to operate?

9 - Has anyone seen the actual RFP so that we have idea what is proposed?
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HwyHaulier




Joined: 16 Dec 2007
Posts: 932
Location: Harford County, MD

PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hart Bus - All -

I am somewhat taken by this particular item in the news. Partly, because it reinforces some long held views of
"...chickens coming home to roost..." and the dilemmas for publicly funded transit...

This latest rather prompts my "Biblical student" persona. Recall, Ecclesiastes has lessons on times and seasons
for everything. Or, as good as present day Graduate School classes on Cycle Theory! To paraphrase: "...a time
for bus lines to make net money, and a time for bus lines not to make net money
...". In light of present headlines
in endless "Finance and Business" columns, perhaps better to figure how to run the instant operation as a net
surplus generator?

When any public entity depends on constant inflows of subsidy, it is always at the tender mercies of very fickle
and erratic Legislatures...

.............................Vern.........................
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upperharlemline4ever




Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 60
Location: New York State

PostPosted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forgive my ignorance but has the MTA said it wants to unload LIBus. They've just invested a fortune in new buses and now it's going to be privatized ala Westchester County. I am aware of the problems the MTA is having with Nassau not wanting kick in $$ but didn't know it's gotten to the point where a private enterprise is getting into the picture. This will only spell disaster for the bus riders of Nassau County. This private-public partnershipb business doesn't work. Does anyone remember the conditions of the various Nassau bus lines before the MTA took over operation? Obsolete, filthy equipment. Don't tell me look at Westchester County. Liberty Lines is raking in a fortune on the public dole and the taxpayers of Westchester County are getting mediocre bus service. We are paying the highest property taxes in the nation, a major portion of which goes to Liberty Lines to operate the county owned buses. It's a win-win situation; they operate and maintain the buses, all the while guaranteed a sizable profit from the county. Its all about campaign contributions to elected officials. You don't get campaign contributions from a public transit operating agency.
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GBL Rebel
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Location: Long Island, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Last time I checked it has gone both ways. MTA's Jay Walder basically saying were not interested and Nassau's Ed Mangano saying were going private. Who really knows what is going on behind the doors though.
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RailBus63
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If the contract is structured correctly, Nassau County could get equal or better service with a private firm operating Long Island Bus. Foothill Transit in California is certainly a model example. You do get what you pay for, however, and I'd be worried about that given how little Nassau County has paid into the bus system in recent years.
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GBL Rebel
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Transit operations has been changing from public to private operators over the last few yews. Only in New York City would a Mayor take private operators and force them out of business to bring in a public operator with the pretence of cost efficiency. Only problem is the bill has almost doubled.
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upperharlemline4ever




Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 60
Location: New York State

PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

With the private lines in NYC, really the only one that was run efficiently and provided excellent service was NY Bus Service. The others were in very poor shape. But anyway, thanks for the info. Again the only ones who are going to suffer are the bus riders. Nassau county has really shafted the MTA buy reducing rather than increasing their payments to the MTA. Weren't the last batch of new buses bought by the MTA? Isn't that the reason they don't have the orange Nassau stripe on them anymore?
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S-60 To Smith Haven Mall




Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 1757
Location: Suffolk County, NY

PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

upperharlemline4ever wrote:
With the private lines in NYC, really the only one that was run efficiently and provided excellent service was NY Bus Service. The others were in very poor shape. But anyway, thanks for the info. Again the only ones who are going to suffer are the bus riders. Nassau county has really shafted the MTA buy reducing rather than increasing their payments to the MTA. Weren't the last batch of new buses bought by the MTA? Isn't that the reason they don't have the orange Nassau stripe on them anymore?


Weren't all the private bus lines, except for New York Bus Service, owned by the same family?
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RailBus63
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

upperharlemline4ever wrote:
Weren't the last batch of new buses bought by the MTA? Isn't that the reason they don't have the orange Nassau stripe on them anymore?


I believe the 1700's were funded with Federal dollars. The MTA is the designated recipient for Nassau County for those funds, but the money would have been intended for buses for the county's operation, so I'm sure they will stay behind if this is how they were paid for. The blue stripe is no doubt the MTA wishing to use a common paint scheme.
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