Welcome to another edition of Larry Penner’s Bizarre Universe, Transdev/NICE Chapter.
Does Larry Penner have the slightest clue how to perform nuts and bolts research? Apparently not with his latest opinion piece, “NICE Bus Keeps Rolling.”
I am not in a position to comment on the efficiency of NICE bus service. I know what I know and know what I don’t know. But I do know how to click a mouse. Upon entering the words “Transdev controversies and complaints,” the results of the search reveal a host of issues from all over the country.
Multiple strikes in multiple cities in California. Issues with service delivery in Detroit and Boston. Issues with paratransit services (Mr. Penner is often on his ADA soapbox). Last year the United States Department of Labor ordered Transdev to make restitution to drivers disciplined and.or fired because they were too sick or tired to work. Drivers have also complained about a lack of decent restroom facilities.
I guess Larry Penner has no issues with a company mired in controversy running NICE.
Mr. Penner goes on to state “[Transdev has] a proven track record of completing Federal Transit Administration funded capital projects on time and within budget. Any contract change orders were documented, fair and reasonable.” Fair enough.
Perhaps Mr. Penner would be good enough to point us to some documentation of this? There doesn’t appear to be any documentation of this through an Internet search. Mr. Penner has sometimes entered Internet links in his opinion pieces for demonstration purposes.
The fact that this man is considered a transportation expert brings to mind the famed journalist H.L. Mencken: “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.”
As far as Transdev running NICE is concerned, would Mr. Penner care to enlighten us on how the contract was awarded? Was the Nassau County legislature alerted as to Transdev’s controversies? Transit advocates, elected officials, taxpayers, and the riding public deserve to know.
Nat Weiner
Bronx
