New On-Demand Bus System Has Bumpy Rollout in East Hampton

Mina Ruiz last week paid $80 for a taxi to get to her job in Water Mill one morning, half what she would earn for the day, because she could not get a seat on the new on-demand buses run by Suffolk County between Springs, where she lives, and East Hampton Village, where she can catch the bus west. MICHAEL WRIGHT

Eva Bennett tried for more than two hours to book a seat on the on-demand bus from Springs to East Hampton Village on Tuesday morning before asking a friend for a ride so that she could make it to the S-92 bus to get her to work in Bridgehampton. MICHAEL WRIGHT

Riders trying to hail the new Suffolk County on-demand bus, especially from Springs, have been frustrated by notifications that the buses have no seats available during the morning rush hour.

Mina Ruiz tried for more than two hours to hail the on-demand bus before getting a ride from Springs to catch the bus that would take her to work in Water Mill. She said she was lucky on this day because she had a flexible work schedule, but that would change next week and she would be forced to take expensive taxis if buses are unavailable. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The new on-demand bus system has traded the two separate routes that linked Springs and Montauk to East Hampton Village for a single route that residents can call rides to or from anywhere along its loop. MICHAEL WRIGHT

Driver Joseph Cristiani said the most of the longtime regular riders transitioned to the on-demand system quickly. MICHAEL WRIGHT

Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker, who took a ride on the new on-demand bus last week with East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, said that county officials are working on ways to address the morning rush hour demand that has overwhelmed the system and left rider frustrated at not being able to schedule a bus in time to get them to work. MICHAEL WRIGHT