March 15, 2017

Contact: Jane Lerner, Director of Strategic Communications (845) 638-5645

Rockland Works Toward Orderly Transition of Bus Contract

NEW CITY, NY – Rockland County is working to ensure that its public transportation bus system continues to function without disruption as a new provider is evaluated, County Executive Ed Day said.

"Nearly 10,000 people in Rockland use this bus service every day," the County Executive said. "We are not going to leave them without a way to get to work or school or any place else they need to go."

The County is working with Brega Transport Corp., to assign the current contract to another experienced and capable public transport provider, according to Day.

"The County does not intend to terminate the current contract until a viable replacement contractor is identified by Brega Transport Corporation and approved by the County," Day said. "Will continue to work cooperatively with Brega on a contract assignment that will provide continuity of service for riders and protect Brega's current employees wherever possible."

If the County has to issue an expedited procurement to get bids from a new provider, the county will indicate that it prefers that the new operator maintain as many Brega employees as possible.

The County Executive and the Department of Public Transportation, Department of Law and Purchasing Division will continue to work diligently to ensure a smooth transition of the Brega contract for TOR and TZx buses to another experienced and qualified provider.

"We thank Brega for its cooperation during this transition," Day said.

Vincent Marzella, Jr., Chief Operations Officer for Brega Transport Corp., has assured the county that the company and its employees are working diligently to ensure a smooth transition of service without any service interruptions.

Rockland has five contracts with Brega companies.

One of those contracts is with Brega Transport Corp. for the maintenance and operation of the TOR and TZx bus services. The Rockland Department of Public Transportation oversees that contract, which is predominately funded by federal and state agencies.

Rockland County officials took the step to transition to a new company after the Federal Transit Administration suspended Brega Transport and its related companies.

The local suspension covers all contracts between the County and Brega, including the Department of Health's pre-school and Early Intervention transportation contract, the Brega DOT Maintenance and Automotive Repair contracts and the Brega Commercial Collision contract.

The federal agency noted that the FTA  suspension will remain in effect while Richard Brega faces federal corruption charges related to contracts with Rockland BOCES.