NFTA's Late Night Shuttle Service
Thanks to Megan (friend of BRO) I was able to track down some more information on this valuable service. It's an update found on Buffalo State College's Bengal News website. The article, written by Sandra Kelly, gives detailed information on the NFTA's extended late night service for college students who are looking to get downtown without getting behind a steering wheel. According to the author, this is a much-needed service that the students are already taking advantage of. An obvious destination for the buses would be late night haunts like Chippewa, but as the article states, the extended routes allow students the ability to get downtown for other reasons too... like HSBC sporting events/concerts, restaurants, etc.
This is a popular service on so many levels. It is a service that many colleges and universities (all over the country) offer to their students for free. It's these types of additions to public transportation routes that will increase students' awareness to downtown amenities. Relying on cabs can be expensive. Finding a cab can be tough. A long walk home can be dangerous. If the students continue to take advantage of the this, the new schedule should hopefully work out far down the road.
Does anyone remember when Forever Elmwood purchased a bus that they painted and drove up and down the street offering free rides? It was such a cool thing to see. The bus would beep as people waved and there were always students and shoppers jumping on and off again. When the alternator broke the association had no way to pay for the repair and the bus was 'deep sixed'. Maybe someday one of the associations could team up with a local college in a similar manner to offer free trips around town once more.
Click here to see the Bengal News article, which includes links to bus schedules and routes.
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Comment Options
sbrof
Sounds great to me but must they hold a grudge and exclude our largest student and drinking population in WNY by ignoring UB in this plan?
Would it be cheaper to run the subway at night once an hour for the 4 hours it is actually shut down than keep a bus and operator going all night. Isn't the whole point of light rail, that the operational expenses are much lower than bus operational expenses. It already connects Canisius and Medaille (sorry buff state) but could also link to UB and then all you would have to do is keep the Elmwood going later which isn't too difficult since it is already one of the latest running routes in the system typically going until 1:30am as it is.
While it is a great plan and much NEEDED it seems like NFTA took a band aid approach to the problem instead of looking at their system as a whole figuring out what is the best way to service everyone at once and not just the bar goers.
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Denizen
The shuttle shouldn't just be oriented towards the colleges. Other youngish city dwellers should have a driving-free way of getting from Chippewa back to their neighborhood late night.
As per comments in the NWR post, there should be an express shuttle (that runs 24/7, not just on party nights) that connects downtown and all the city's best commercial districts: Allentown, Elmwood Village, Buff State, Hertel, University Heights and South Campus. This could replace the current shuttle and be convenient for more neighborhoods than the current one.
For Canisius, Medialle, and UB South it'd just be easier to run late night metro rail trains that skips all non-downtown stops except Delevan, Lasalle, and University.
Time to gang up on NFTA and get them to make this happen now sooner than later. Public transit can work in Buffalo!
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Andrew
YAY for me! sbrof... UB isnt included because Canisius, Medaille and Buff State students have transit NFTA passes through the colleges as a part of their tuition and UB doesnt.
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joeycanoli
I've been complaining about this service not going to UB for 2 years now. UB had a deal with the NFTA before last school year and it fell through just before classes started. I heard NFTA wanted the unlimited passes to be mandatory and UB wanted it to be optional. Guess UB supports drinking and driving.
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rickyrick
Would be nice if the REST of the buses *raill too) ran 24/7 . NOT EVERYONE HAS A CAR IN BUFFALO.
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coolrobc
Wouldn't it make more sense to have the light rail run, and have the shuttles go from the south campus to the schools?
Then those of us non-college students that would like to go downtown late would have an alternate option as well.
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magnum
What about D'Youville? With 20% of their students being from Canada, this service would only create a better impression of Buffalo.
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sbrof
that's what I am saying coolrobc, this is something that as a drinking town baffles me. How many people do we constantly hear about crashing into this person, or running into a tree because they were drinking too much. Running the light rail does seem like it would better suit a larger population. it could even be a great social event to get the college crowds to mix a little bit around here. Cansius people go here, UB goes there,... they are like separate universes which only make Buffalo seem smaller than it really is to those in them.
Light Rail, Elmwood and The Hertel routes would be a good start to create connected late night system (loop) to get between pretty much anywhere you would want to be late night. There are no larger concentration of bars then on those three routes.
And Andrew, I am truly jealous of the other colleges that signed onto the deal that UB officials were to divorced and snobbish to sign on with. I have to spend 55 dollars per month to get a pass to ride the system, NFTA was asking for 35 per SEMESTER... and UB felt that would be asking TOO much from its students. Instead they charge several hundred dollars in transportation fees to pay for their parking lots and exclusionary bus and shuttles.
sigh I could go on for hours about this... maybe some day
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