LoBue, Tamagna Wrestle Over County Busing System
Legislator Dini LoBue and former county lawmaker Vincent Tamagna no longer mix it up as colleagues, but the two were still at odds during a recent legislative committee meeting.
LoBue and Tamagna, now the county’s transportation manager, bickered over how efficiently the county bus system is working since MV Transportation took over a couple of years ago. During a Physical Services Committee meeting last Wednesday, LoBue assailed recent issues with the busing after hearing a few complaints from residents and bus drivers.
Tamagna, a former legislator from District 1, said the busing system does roughly 110,000 rides each year and he only gets about six complaints each month. While he believes that the system is providing a decent service at an affordable cost, Tamagna noted the buses have dealt with congestion recently and couldn’t control factors like bad weather or a car accident.
Tamagna said one slight change has been instead of using a system where seniors call when they want to travel; the buses take a route to areas where they usually get those calls like at senior living facilities. He did concede later on that might result in bus drivers losing a few minutes of their break.
Tamagna also noted the bus fleet is aging, with eight buses to be replaced in March 2017 and another eight buses will be swapped in 2018. A bus can’t be replaced with federal funds until it hits 200,000 miles, Tamagna said.
LoBue lodged a complaint that since the new company has come in, she’s heard negative comments about the busing and claimed transportation isn’t being managed properly. As a result the county is wasting money, LoBue said.
LoBue said the fleet used to be better maintained and are breaking down too frequently under MV Transit. Ridership has also gone down, LoBue alleged.
“This is mismanagement and something is terribly wrong,” LoBue said. “I hope we can really take a look at this system and try to fix what’s going on.”
Other lawmakers weren’t as convinced.
Legislator Carl Albano said while he hasn’t has any complaints, he was open to reviewing the busing schedule and routes to find better options. He did dismiss the brunt of LoBue’s argument.
“I know you’re trying to block me, I know this is the skit that goes on here,” LoBue said, as Albano tried to interject. “Believe me, believe me, I’m going to go public.”
“You can go public all you want,” Albano responded.
Tamagna claimed the only bus that broke down in recent memory occurred on Dec. 13 because it was rear-ended by a car, to which LoBue asserted wasn’t true and there were other times they stopped working. The two continued to take shots at each other.
Tamagna said the Federal Transit Administration checks the buses to ensure they are working the way they’re supposed to. The county now pays for maintenance on vehicles through cost per mile, which has saved the county $1 million, he said. The New York State Department of Transportation also checks on the vehicles, Tamagna said.
Tamagna then accused some of the people that complained to Lobue of “making stuff up” in regards to the busing breakdowns. He offered to bring in the MV general manager and maintenance staff next meeting.
“It’s like a whole world of let’s make things up and let’s throw facts out,” Tamagna said.
LoBue said she would invite bus drivers to the next meeting as the discussion goes forward.
“The truth always comes out Vinny, that’s all I can say,” LoBue said.
