By Philip Newman
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said he may ask the City Council this week to consider granting another extension of the deadline for the takeover.
“By now a solid plan should have been formulated,” said Liu, chairman of the Council Transportation Committee.
“Details concerning the MTA takeover should have been made available to the public,” Liu said. “Instead we are informed that negotiations are still taking place. The MTA and the mayor have manufactured this crisis and people are anxious about their bus service. This is utterly unacceptable.”
Liu said he believes the MTA and the city have no plan yet and thus the July 1 deadline will come and go without a takeover.
Although invited, neither the MTA nor the mayor's office showed up at the Council's public hearing on the bus takeover Friday. Some Council members were angry at the absences.
Both the MTA and the mayor's office said they could not attend because negotiations toward the takeover were going on.
“I think it's bad public policy,” said Councilman Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach). “It's a bad sign of things to come and I am concerned. I am outraged. If we are going to be disrespected like this as a group, I think something has to be done.”
Liu said his committee had “been trying for two months to pry information out of the MTA. We have been given no assurances that there will be no reduction in bus service and no disruption come July 1 – that is not acceptable.”
Union leaders told the hearing that the public must see that the Legislature defeats proposed legislation to establish a Regional Bus Authority.
“The city administration and the MTA want everyone to believe this RBA legislation is necessary for an MTA takeover of private bus lines,” said John Longo, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local Division 1179.
“This is not true,” Longo said. “The MTA could complete the takeover without legislation being enacted. The Regional Bus Authority would give the MTA the authority to change and or eliminate bus service.”
Longo said that under a Regional Bus Authority “the MTA and the mayor will get to decide which bus routes are inefficient or uneconomical without legislative or public oversight.”
Officials of unions representing workers at the private bus lines emphasized two points:
Their contention that the MTA would following a takeover of the private bus lines begin cutting service, especially express buses and establishing new routes designed to deliver passengers to subways.
An exhortation to the public to urge the state Legislature to defeat proposed legislation to establish a Regional Bus Authority.
“In the next 10 days, we must prevent the railroading of the MTA's bill through the state Legislature,” said Ed Watt, secretary- treasurer of the Transit Workers Union Local 100.
“Allowing this bill to pass in its present form would give the MTA a blank check to reduce bus service without any public input,” Watt said.
Queens Borough President Helen Marshall told the hearing that the takeover should not take place before several vital issues are resolved, including what will happen to 400 non-union workers at the private lines.
I do not want my borough coming to a grinding halt on the morning of July 1 because of a self-imposed deadline,” Marshall said.
Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) also questioned whether the takeover could be carried out by July 1 but warned against establishment of a Regional Bus Authority which, she said, would remove it from public accountability.
Teresa Meade of Howard Beach was among a number of members of the public who testified at the hearing.
“I want to express my concern about the elimination of express buses to and from Manhattan once the MTA takes over the private bus lines,” said Meade, who spoke from her wheelchair.
The seven private bus lines – Command Bus Co., Green Bus Lines, Jamaica Buses, Queens Surface, Liberty Lines Express, New York Bus Service and Triboro Coach - serve 400,000 riders in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki announced April 19 that the MTA would take over operation of the private lines but that New York City would continue contributing $150 million a year toward their operation.
Other Queens Council members at the hearing included James Sanders (D-Laurelton) and Diana Reyna (D-Queens and Brooklyn).
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 136.
