The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus service underwent a massive restructuring this week, with two Flushing routes completely reorganized.
The n20 and n21 routes, which pass through Flushing, have been split into smaller portions to improve their general timeliness. Both lines suffered poor performance due to heavy traffic in the general area, especially on Northern Boulevard, according to the transit agency.
The n20 is now running in two separate sections: the n20G, which goes from Flushing to Great Neck; and the n20H, which will continue the line from Great Neck to Hicksville. Riders looking to travel from one section to another will need to transfer between the n20G and n20H at no additional charge.
The n21 bus is no longer running to Flushing at all, with service on the line only running from Great Neck to Glen Cove from now on. Weekend service is also being restored on the n21.
Eleven routes have also been eliminated in the shakeup due to low ridership and a budget deficit.
Most of the newly defunct NICE lines did not pass through Queens with the exception of the n2/8, which previously picked up passengers in Rosedale.
The remaining NICE lines are subject to major scheduling adjustments.
In an effort to improve time performance across the system, many lines have been modified to include more running time.
The NICE bus system services more than 100,000 riders daily, according to a 2015 study completed by the Nassau County comptroller. This study found that buses generally did not maintain on-time performance of fixed bus routes, stating that overall customer satisfaction scores have declined by as much as 50 percent in 2012 to 2013.
