MTA’s shuttle‑bus backup plan could add an hour to commutes, test run shows
A contingency plan released by the MTA calls for shuttle buses to run from six Long Island pickup points.
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If Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike next week, thousands of commuters may find themselves trading their usual rail ride for a far longer, more complicated journey into Manhattan.
A contingency plan released by the MTA calls for shuttle buses to run from six Long Island pickup points — Hicksville, Mineola, Hempstead Lake State Park, Ronkonkoma, Huntington and Bay Shore — to subway stations in Queens. But a test run of one of those routes shows just how much extra time riders may need to budget.
News 12 transportation reporter Kevin Vesey drove the Hicksville‑to‑Howard Beach route on Thursday, then took the A train into Manhattan. The full trip to Penn Station clocked in at 1 hour and 50 minutes— roughly an hour longer than the typical 50‑minute LIRR ride.
Some riders say they’re already planning ways to avoid the shuttle‑bus detour. Rabab Ahmed, of Valley Stream, said she may stay with friends in Manhattan during the strike to keep her commute manageable. Michael Locke, of Shirley, said adding an hour each way would be “very rough.”
