Mostly, they’re in the repair shop where mechanics do miracles of restoration, but that ship may have sailed. As RIOC reported last night: “Please be advised, there will be only one Red Bus running on Main Street now until further notice.” It can get worse.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Status of the Buses
RIOC’s Communications Director Bryant Daniels tells us that there are as many four buses available. That’s optimistic because three are down now “until further notice.” And keep in mind that the fourth is just as old and prone to failure as the others.
We’re not sugarcoating this. Eyes wide open, common sense tells us that the likelihood of all four in the repair shop at once isn’t just possible. It is likely at some point in time. And there is nothing RIOC can do about it that their staff hasn’t already tried.
Over several years, Transportation Director Cy Opperman did wizardly work keeping the buses running and the drivers on payroll. His protege, Eddie Perez, continues the tradition of commitment. So, if you’re following this lead, it isn’t the Opperman, Perez, the drivers or the mechanics. It’s the same thing that’s gone off the rails in several other ways within RIOC.
How on Earth Did We Get Here?
It wasn’t on a Red Bus, that’s for sure.
Put simply, after the last New Flyer bus arrived. RIOC did nothing to update its fleet. It continued like this. Here’s where things get a little hazy.
Blaming Shelton J. Haynes’s now four-plus years as CEO is easy, but maybe a little too easy. As we’ve suggested before, invisible handlers from the Governor’s Executive Chamber in Albany used Haynes as a tool. They jammed him into a position for which he was not qualified. It started with Andrew Cuomo with some drama, then got worse with Team Kathy Hochul.
Haynes scrambled mightily to patch together a team he believed he could work with. Some choices were dazzlingly wrong: Altheria Jackson as Chief Operating Officer? Erica Spencer-EL as both Communications Director and Youth Center Director? Akeem Jamal as whatever he was?
And that’s the tip of the iceberg, but the biggest bomb involved the buses. Haynes placed human resources specialist Tajuna Sharpe in charge of transportation. Our research tells us that her only prior experience was driving to and from work in her car. It was ridiculous, and it showed… or, I should say, it shows.
When Acting COO Mary Cunneen became part of RIOC’s interim leadership team early this year, she soon went to work getting some new buses. It was too late, though, for avoiding the situation we find ourselves in.
Deeper Background
The hard fact is that RIOC gushes red ink. The most popular operations – Red Buses, the Tram, Sportspark – lose money by the bucket. The state agency has limited resources for recovery. Worse yet, they don’t know how to stop the bleeding. If there is a way, they haven’t found it.
Riverwalk Heights will bring a quick infusion of cash. There is no reason to believe that RIOC will handle that any better. They managed the money Cornell Tech brought them poorly. Our financial expert tells us that RIOC is dropping $5 million in cash every year. That’s wiping out surpluses. These surpluses are used for needs as various as desperately needed east seawall repairs. They are also needed for replacing the faulty foundation supporting The Girl Puzzle and much more.
RIOC’s board, responsible for running the place but cowering before the Governor, has been pathetic and ineffective for years. The hard right majority of Howard Polivy, David Kraut, Conway Ekpo, Fay Christian and Hochul’s permanent appointments has fought furiously against changes proposed by newcomers Lydia Tang and Ben Fhala. This is like this year’s Chicago White Sox, deep in a twenty game losing streak, insisting on standing pat.
Call in Guinness. Records are being set in haplessness.
Another affect by Albany meddling is a flood of unresolved investigations and lawsuits bringing a feeding frenzy for outside legal counsel. Millions sill out every year as lawyers you’ve never heard of milk the cow raised inside Blackwell House.
Is it any wonder, they struggled to belatedly order two new buses when realistically five are needed?
Solutions for the Buses
Here’s our thoughts on alternatives – not solutions because, honestly, no solutions are in sight.
- More Red Buses return from repairs. The trend has gone the other way for months. These buses are old, and sometimes, one gets repaired by cannibalizing another. Even replacement parts are scarce because the market for them is small. Grinding buses into the ground as we do on Roosevelt Island is uncommon.
- Lease replacements. Cunneen and CFO Dhruvika Amin have looked at the options, and they aren’t pretty. That’s mainly because of costs, and money is short. But maybe more creative thinking would help. Large, comfy buses line up every rush hour, transporting doctors, nurses and techs to and from Manhattan’s medical nerve center. Why can’t RIOC find a way to do that? The Octagon manages a bus for its residents. Can that also serve as an example?
- Realistic observations tell us that Red Buses run in a world of unrealistic expectations. Apart from the physically challenged population, the buses are an indulgence south of Island House and unnecessary for many at greater distances. People all over New York walk much farther for everyday connections. Walk unless you have to. Walk in a neighborly group. It’s healthier than packing like sardines, and it’s good for you.
- Take advantage of the Q102. The MTA bus is less frequent, but it covers the route faster from Coler to the Tram. Heading north is more of an issue. Because the northbound Q102 turns onto the bridge across from 4 – 6 River Road, it doesn’t serve Manhattan Park to Coler perfectly, but a connection with the next bus off the bridge heading north is easy outside Foodtown. And remember, transfers between the Tram, subway and MTA buses are free.
Finally
Roosevelt Islanders should carefully consider alternatives because they may be all that’s available soon, and maybe for a long time. Given the poor quality of governance in New York State – RIOC is only an example, not an exception – don’t expect a rescue. None are on the way. Even reformers on RIOC’s board expect months, if not years of pushing and pulling for progress.
There’s a core of good managers inside RIOC today, but operations are too top down for optimism. If Hochul’s patronage promotion program doesn’t get them, the board will. Be happy with what we’ve got and do what you can to stop the erosion.
That means contacting our outstanding and strong elected officials. This includes mostly Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright. We must demand change. Really, that’s Roosevelt Islanders’ one shot at retaining community value. If they can rattle Hochul’s cage, things can even get better.
The Committee Man
Committees are supposed to be where outcomes are shaped. They are meant to be the place where questions slow decisions down, where competing interests surface, and where public responsibility is exercised before anything reaches a formal vote.
