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'Inefficient, Unaccountable': Westchester Bus Line Underperforms, Report Says

Westchester County's bus line is "antiquated, under-performing, inefficient and unaccountable," says a brand-new report by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Westchester County's bus line underperforms and overspends compared to other bus systems in the state, a recent report says.

Westchester County's bus line underperforms and overspends compared to other bus systems in the state, a recent report says.

Photo Credit: Westchester County

According to the nonprofit's report from October, the bus line, also known as the Bee-Line, underperforms in metrics including expense per vehicle, and "deadhead hours," or how many hours a bus is not in service to pick up passengers.

The Bee-Line also gets more tax money and fare payments put into it and gets relatively fewer service hours out than other bus lines across the country, the report says. 

According to the nonprofit, Westchester County spends an average of $557,505 to operate the buses in its fleet during peak hours, which is more than what Nassau and Suffolk counties spend on their bus systems. 

"The fact that a similar nearby transit system can operate with lower expenditures suggests that Westchester’s current contract operators have vast room for improvement," the report says. 

The report also points out that Westchester County has used the same bus line operator, Liberty Lines, for five decades, and that the county's contract with them does not allow them to go out to bid for cheaper alternatives. 

"The poor bus service is the direct result of an opaque governance system granting a permanent contract monopoly to a private company with minimal public oversight," the report says. 

Click here for the full report from Tri-State Transportation Campaign. 

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