NEW YORK CITY -- The planned July 1 takeover by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority of more than 80 bus routes now operated by private companies is moving forward -- in fits and starts.
Those familiar with the oft-times contentious negotiations between the city and the private companies say a variety of issues have slowed progress, creating a charged atmosphere that has fostered talk of a walkout by drivers and other difficulties.
"We just don't know what's going on and probably won't until the very end," said Martin Burke, vice president of Queens Surface Corp., one of the seven companies that transports about 400,000 daily commuters into Manhattan from the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.
The talks have involved a wide range of controversial issues, including the hiring of union drivers by the MTA, the fate of non-union employees of the seven private companies, worker compensation, and what will become of the bus terminals and other facilities now owned by the private operators.
"All I can tell you is that we are in the midst of extremely complicated negotiations with the private bus lines," said city spokesman Jordan Baowitz.
MTA spokesman Tom Kelly said the authority has been preparing for the takeover for some time and is ready to go. "If all of the contracts are signed and the legislation is completed, then we will take over fully on July 1 as planned," he said.
The city has been pushing for the takeover for about two years, maintaining that the MTA could provide better service than what the private companies have been offering, especially over the past few years. "We believe the MTA can manage these lines more efficiently than they have been previously, so we expect better value for the taxpayers and better service for the riders," said Baowitz.
The private carriers have been operating the routes since 1974 under a series of renewable contracts with the city and city subsidies that most recently totaled $150 million a year. They serviced the routes with 1,250 aged and rundown city-owned buses, which had been a sore spot with the carriers who frequently complained that the city did not provide enough money to maintain the buses and would not replace them with newer models.
Baowitz acknowledged that most of the city-owned buses used by the private carriers are in terrible shape, noting the city has ordered 450 new ones as part of an effort to update the entire fleet.
The MTA, when it takes over, plans to immediately remove the worst buses from the routes and replace them with buses now in the authority fleet, according to Kelly. He said other changes on the routes, including the possible merging of some routes, would take place gradually. "You really won't see very much difference for about six months," he said.
Once the takeover is completed, some of the seven companies could go out of business.
Command Bus Co., Green Bus Lines, Jamaica Buses and Triboro Coach Corp., all affiliates of Green Bus Lines Inc., as well as Queens Surface, have no other operations other than the transit routes.
New York Bus Service and Liberty Lines have other business, including school bus routes and line operations in other communities.