Nassau County will be restoring some of the 11 NICE bus routes that were cut in January due to a budget shortage.
County Executive Ed Mangano says his budget office ended 2015 with an unexpected $45 million surplus. He says an agreement was made with Legislature leaders to use $3 million to restore many, but not all, of the routes.
Communities that will see restored routes include Elmont, Franklin Square, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre and Baldwin.
The head of the NICE Bus Riders' Union released a statement saying, "The county needs to hold NICE accountable, that the money they are receiving goes to restoration of routes and not to bolster their profit on money-making routes." Legislature Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams says he agrees.
"If routes are not restored, then simply put, the money won't be there," says Abrahams.
NICE bus says it has already printed 80,000 new schedules, taken several of the buses out of service and let a number of drivers go due to the January cuts.
The company says January's cuts affected only about 2 percent of their riders.