DHS funds for New York City are cut, but Long Island shuttle service continues to receive money
DHS cut anti-terror fund for New York City by $83 million, but a shuttle service connecting New York to the Hamptons, continues to receive funding for security improvements; some question the order of priorities here
DHS has cut anti-terror funds for New York City by $83 million, but the Hampton Jitney, a bus service which transports clients from New York City to the Hamptons (also known as the Booze Bus), was awarded $82,908 during the past two years. As part of the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program given out by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), bus companies receive nearly $10 million in federal assistance each year to help them make security improvements.
The cuts by DHS are not directly related to the grants the bus company receives, but the critics still question the use of DHS money on the Hampton Jitney. “That money could be used to establish an island-wide communication system in case of an attack,” says Senator Michael Balboni (R-East Williston), chairman of the New York State Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Military Affairs. “We need to maximize every dollar when it comes to Long Island’s security.”
The Jitney used the funding for a GPS system, for which the company matched with its own money. The money was also used to increase lighting in the yards where the buses are stored at night. Balboni is not impressed. “It appears at first glance to be a reach and not what would be the logical priority of funding,” he says. He argues that money should be allotted to preparing evacuations at places like the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater and Nassau Coliseum. “These places house thousands of people, a bus holds 40.”
