Westchester County has reached an agreement that will have Yonkers-based Liberty Lines continue to operate the county’s Bee-Line bus service for five years.
County Executive George Latimer said the contract, which will run through 2023, is a flat-fee deal, peaking at $136 million for the final year and totaling approximately $638 million.
Latimer called the new deal, along with customer satisfaction with the Bee-Line system, “an example of government and business getting it right. Working together and figuring out how to get it right.”
The current contract between the county and bus operator expires at the end of this year. The executive’s office estimates that the new deal will save the county a total of $20 million over the five-year period, as the county will be paying $13 million less to Liberty Lines and spending $7 million less on insurance costs. The deal also shifts insurance providers from AIG to the nonprofit New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal.
Liberty Lines provides 27 million rides annually on 58 routes throughout the county, employing about 700 people.
The company has run buses through Westchester for more than 50 years, as noted by its managing director, Bruce Bernacchia.
“The county’s transit system is nationally recognized as one of the most effective and efficient systems in the country,” he said.
wow, some speech, there..