NEW YORK CITY - Seven New York City motorcoach operators have been given a six-month extension to continue providing commuter service to nearly 400,000 daily riders while city officials keep trying to convince the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to takeover the service.
While that would appear to be good news for the carriers, at least four of them say it is more like a double edge sword. That's because they say they might not be able to sustain the express and local runs in the five Boroughs for that long without additional financial help from the city.
The city Department of Transportation, which has subsidized the express and local service into Manhattan for 30 years, has been trying to get the MTA to takeover the service for months. But talks between the city and MTA have failed so far, forcing Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to sign legislation authorizing the contract extension.
Discussions are continuing, however, and the mayor says he's hopeful arrangements can be worked out so the MTA can takeover the service by the time the extension expires.
"In the interim, signing this legislation will enable the city to continue uninterrupted bus service for the 395,000 daily passengers who rely on the buses for transportation to and from work, school and their everyday destinations throughout the boroughs," Bloomberg said after he signed the extension at the end of last month.
But that may not happen, warns Jerry Cooper, a spokesman for Command Bus Co., Jamaica Buses, Triboro Coach Corp. and Green Bus Lines, all affiliates of Green Bus Lines Inc.
"I don't know if we can make it," he said. "I have said, and will continue to say, we will go as long as we can and as far as we can with what we have, and that's the best I can say."
The four Green Bus Lines' companies also have a lawsuit pending against the city over several financial issues related to their contract.
Officials of the other three companies, New York Bus Service, Queens Surface Corp., and Liberty Lines, either were unavailable for comment or declined to talk about the situation. "I just won't discuss it," said Jim O'Reilly, president of New York Bus Service.
Cooper said the private carriers have been put into a serious financial bind by the city because it often does not pay its subsidies on time, and it refuses to pay for maintenance of the aging 1,251 buses that are used by the seven companies, but owned by the city.
"We're running 18- to 20-year-old buses and they don't give us any money to repair them," he stressed. "These buses are old and they're getting older."
He said the city needs to do something quickly or it could see the service suspended well before the end of the new contract. "We've said the city has to do something immediately. Instead, they put a patch on it and tell us to continue to run. How do they expect us to do that without the money needed to run the buses," he said.
Bloomberg, a Republican, has been advocating for some time that the MTA should be responsible for the bus service, which costs the city about $100 million a year in subsidies to the private carriers.
"As I have said in the past, I believe the MTA, which is charged with the responsibility of providing affordable mass transportation for the people in our metropolitan area, has the requisite economies of scale and transportation expertise to provide the highest quality of service for the riding public," Bloomberg said.
He said the city is continuing its discussions with the MTA regarding its taking over the service and he's hopeful a successful arrangement can be reached.
The mayor indicated that issues of liability, pensions and money are stalling the negotiations and a possible agreement.
MTA spokesman Tom Kelly acknowledged the discussions with the city are continuing, but he would not discuss details. "I can't comment on any specifics, but there are a number of substantial issues that need to be resolved," he said.