Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority | |
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Overview | |
Owner | State of New York |
Locale | Erie and Niagara Counties, New York |
Transit type | Bus, Light rail |
Number of lines | 61 bus routes, Buffalo Metro Rail |
Number of stations | 13 (light rail) |
Daily ridership | 54,600 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1] |
Annual ridership | 15,429,900 (2023)[2] |
Chief executive | Kimberley A. Minkel |
Headquarters | Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center Buffalo, New York |
Website | nfta |
Operation | |
Began operation | 1967 |
Number of vehicles | 325 buses, 27 light rail (2017)[3] |
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The NFTA, as an authority, oversees a number of subsidiaries, including the NFTA Metro bus and rail system, the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, the Niagara Falls International Airport and NFTA Small Boat Harbor. The NFTA Metro bus and rail system is a multi-modal agency, utilizing various vehicle modes (diesel bus, diesel-hybrid bus, CNG bus, light rail and cut-away van), using the brand names: NFTA Metro Bus, NFTA Metro Rail, NFTA Metrolink and NFTA PAL (Para-transit Access Line). In 2023, the system had a ridership of 15,429,900, or about 54,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
In addition, the NFTA also owns and manages a number of properties, including the Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center in Downtown Buffalo (which serves as the agency's headquarters); the Niagara Falls Transportation Center on Factory Outlet Boulevard; the Portage Road Transit Center in Niagara Falls; and a number of strategically located bus loops and transit centers in the Buffalo Niagara region. Of note, many of the bus loops have been in continuous operation since the days of the International Railway Company, a predecessor to the NFTA. Agency-wide, the NFTA employs 1,500 full-time and part-time employees.[4]
There are three business centers that operate as the NFTA organization: Surface Transportation, which handles ground transportation throughout Erie and Niagara counties, Aviation, which handles air related business at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and Niagara Falls International Airport and Property Risk/Management, which operates the NFTA-Boat Harbor and handles other properties that are owned and/or operated by the NFTA.