NFTA – Metro Bus and Rail Suspending Fare Collection

To Facilitate Social Distancing, Metro Makes Changes Across the Board

BUFFALO, N.Y., Metro Bus and Rail is responding to the coronavirus COVID-19 with modifications to increase safety for riders and operators.

Metro will temporarily suspend fare collection on all bus routes, paratransit service and Metro Rail, beginning Friday, March 27. Because there is no fare collection, passengers will be asked to use rear doors when boarding and exiting buses. Those who have special needs or mobility issues may still use front doors. This change was approved by the NFTA board of commissioners at Thursday’s board meeting.

These measures will maximize social distancing to help protect employees and riders. Metro continues to follow and promote the advice coming from state and local health care officials and will continue to keep passengers and employees safe during this time of concern.

Metro Bus and Rail have greatly increased cleaning schedules. Buses, rail cars, rail stations and other locations are subjected to regular deep-cleaning using hospital-grade sanitizing agents. Bus operators have access to disposable gloves and sanitizing wipes to do additional cleaning. Metro also has put cleaners in the field to sanitize buses multiple times throughout the day.

As a reminder to the public, if you are sick, stay home and please do not use public transportation.

About the NFTA

The NFTA is a regional multi-modal transportation authority responsible for airport and surface transportation in Erie and Niagara counties. NFTA/NFTM businesses include a bus, rail and ADA paratransit system, two commercial airports, and transportation centers in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. In 2018, a J.D. Power study ranked the Buffalo Niagara International Airport highest in customer satisfaction for medium sized airports in North America.