School is back in session at Nassau County Community College (NCC) and Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus service has reinstituted its school year service to accommodate the more than 3,100 students and employees who ride the buses to the college’s Garden City campus. The 16x express bus offers non-stop service from the Hempstead Transit Center to NCC, and the N43 route is extended from Roosevelt Field to NCC during the school year. This fall also marks the launch of NICE Bus’ Brand Ambassador Program, which utilizes student “ambassadors” to introduce and assist their fellow students with the particulars of NICE bus service, from stops to routes to schedules.
“Bus service is particularly meaningful to the student population in terms of convenience, cost and environmental impact,” said Michael Setzer, CEO of NICE bus. “Nationally, young people are embracing public transportation as an easy and economical way to get from one place to another. Fewer young people own cars and bus transportation is economical and environmentally responsible.”
The Brand Ambassador program seeks to both help the students get the most out of the bus service and provide NICE bus with the student input that makes the bus service responsive to their needs. The initial Brand Ambassador team has been recruited from students who regularly ride the bus and are looking to gain valuable experience using organizational and promotional skills including face-to-face and social media outreach, potentially through Facebook and Twitter, for example, to interact with the student population. Brand Ambassadors will receive complimentary bus service in exchange for their outreach efforts.
Dr. Kenneth Saunders, Nassau Community College's Officer in Charge, enthusiastically supports the program.
"The NICE Bus Brand Ambassador Program is one of those non-stop examples of common sense where NCC students who are riders themselves will be able to give advice to fellow students on the various bus routes to the College that they can use as they pursue their roads to success."
Identified by branded shirts and caps, the Brand Ambassadors will be posted around campus during the first weeks of school including the student union and at bus stops during peak hours. Students with a valid ID enjoy a reduced fare of $2.10 per ride, payable with a MetroCard or exact change. NICE bus serves the NCC campud with express service from the Hempstead Transit Center (16x), as well as routes from Baldwin, Westbury, Freeport, Roosevelt Field and Rockville Centre (N35, N43, N45 and N51). Buses make stops on or around the campus at 15-minute intervals throughout the day. For more information on Great Neck schedules, please go to www.nicebus.com.
