In Transit newsletter: Takeaways from a daylong exploration of Long Island's transit options

I immersed myself in Long Island’s transportation system like never before for my latest Newsday story, using my car, trains, buses, taxis, a ferry, a bicycle, an Uber and an airport — all in a single day. It was fun, exhausting and enlightening — giving me a firsthand look at some of the strengths and weaknesses of Long Island’s transportation network. Here are some of my key takeaways:

Getting around Long Island isn’t cheap, but there are values to be had.

The total transportation cost for my day was $229.05 for me and a photographer. I spent the most on two LIRR Day Passes, which covered the many trains we took throughout the day between Jamaica and Ronkonkoma. At $29.75 each, it actually didn’t end up being much cheaper than buying a new ticket for every train trip I took, but that’s in part because some of those trips were surprisingly inexpensive. Traveling from Patchogue to Bay Shore via LIRR, and later from Bay Shore to Amityville, each cost just $3.50. Also cheaper than I expected: Suffolk’s bus fare, which at $2.25 was 75 cents less than a bus ride in Nassau or New York City.

I get why some Long Islanders love flying out of MacArthur.

Last week Newsday reported that Long Island MacArthur Airport was chosen by USA Today as the best small airport in the U.S. And it was easy to see why. There was no line at all to get through the TSA checkpoint when I visited on a Wednesday morning and plentiful parking just outside the airport’s front door. A traveler could legitimately get from car to gate in under 10 minutes. Compare that with the experience of getting to Kennedy or LaGuardia by car or transit and the hour-plus it can take to get through security at those airports.

There’s one place on Long Island immune to car culture.

I was counting on my ferry trip to Ocean Beach to be one of the highlights of my day but wasn’t expecting the ground transportation system on Fire Island to be so fascinating in its own right. But for some cops in electronic golf carts, there wasn’t a motorized vehicle in sight. What I did see a lot of was bicycles — many available to be borrowed outside hotels, or rented from a hardware store or automated bike share rack. Rather than feel limited by the lack of cars, the Long Islanders I spoke to felt liberated.

Where are the bike shares?

CitiBike has, for years, been ubiquitous throughout New York City. But I struggled to find options to borrow a bike during my day trip through Long Island. Suffolk County's bike share program shut down last year after losing its sponsor. While various municipalities have launched their own bike share programs over the years, it wasn’t clear which, if any, were still around. I was able to borrow a bike at Farmingdale College through the school’s new Ram Rides program. But while riding around campus, I couldn’t find any students who had even heard of the program, much less taken advantage of it.

I felt perfectly safe in my driverless Uber.

When the guy sitting in the driver’s seat of my Uber told me it was a self-driving vehicle, I had to take a moment to decide whether I was comfortable being driven in rush hour traffic by a robot. But, alas, my ride was as smooth as could be, even braking when some jaywalkers stepped right in front of the car in the middle of Route 110. Some human drivers wouldn’t have been as careful.

Public transportation is critical on LI.

A long day spent rushing to catch trains and squeezing into packed buses made for an unconventional assignment for me. But it’s the daily reality for tens of thousands of Long Islanders, including college students, essential workers, people with disabilities, senior citizens and their caretakers. Many of them don’t have a choice but to rely on public transportation, so it’s important that it remains plentiful, reliable and affordable.

Transportation news

• A charter jet company operating out of Long Island MacArthur Airport continued flying passengers around even after federal officials raised serious safety concerns.
• In the market for a used motorcycle? Billy Joel is looking to unload more than 70 of them. 
• State police have identified the drivers in two fatal crashes that took place one week apart at a Sunken Meadow State Park toll booth.
• The return of the fall season means the return of a four-legged road hazard for rural Suffolk drivers. 
• Police have made three arrests in connection with a Bellport LIRR station shooting but insist the railroad remains safe for commuters. 
• Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman sparred over the issue of subway safety while on the gubernatorial campaign trail. 

Travel watch

• Suffolk County Transit's routes 77 and 77Y will discontinue service effective Sunday, as they are replaced with a new on-demand transit zone. Suffolk County Clipper service will also be replaced by the new Long Island Express service, which will run between Riverhead and Hicksville.
• Several portions of the eastbound Jackie Robinson Parkway in Queens will be closed overnight through Oct. 30 for repaving.
• Merrick Road/State Route 27A in the Village of Amityville will be open only for local traffic between Route 110 and Great Neck Road between 10 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday for the replacement of the Amityville Creek culvert under Merrick Road.
• NICE Bus' N24, N78 and N79 routes will not serve some stops on Saturday because of the Hicksville Street Fair.
• Buses are replacing LIRR trains between Speonk and Montauk, with reduced service and revised schedules between Babylon and Speonk from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday, because of planned track maintenance. 
• Service on the LIRR West Hempstead Branch will again be suspended this weekend for track maintenance.

Readers speak up

This reader seemed to enjoy my Long Island transit journey almost as much as I did.

It's amazing how many people use public transportation and live so far away for a job. It's kind of sad. ... Public transportation is either a hindrance on Long Island or it makes it convenient. It depends on what people need to use it for and I'm glad they've been adding more lines. At least the New York City transportation system has their act together. I grew up in the South Bronx. I used to take three buses to get to high school so I know and those buses were always on time. Thank you for a lovely story

Salvatrice Williams, Massapequa

What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of Long Island's transportation system? Let us know at transit@newsday.com.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.