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COVID pandemic causes financial concerns for the NFTA

Ridership right now is at about 50 percent of what it was before the pandemic. Overall, the NFTA could be looking at more than $22 million in revenue losses.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — One industry that took a hit all across the country during the pandemic is public transportation. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which runs buses in Buffalo, the Metrorail, and the airports is no exception.

The NFTA says COVID-19 has had a significant impact on its budget. It was not charging fares for several months, and ridership still isn't back up to pre-COVID numbers.

While fares weren't being charged, really only essential workers were using the buses and Metrorail to get to work because that was largely during the stay at home order.

Ridership right now is at about 50 percent of what it was before the pandemic.

That drop in ridership, along with the waived fares, could mean more than $22 million in revenue losses.

Credit: NFTA

The NFTA is coming up with ways to make up for the losses. 2 On Your Side wanted to know if that could include job cuts.

"I wouldn't say it was on the table because that is something that of course we will do everything we can to avoid, but we have to be realistic and optimistic at the same time," NFTA Director of Public Affairs Helen Tederous said.

We also asked if fare hikes could be an option.

"We have not raised fares in eight years. That would be something, again, I don't want to say under consideration, but we will be discussing a whole host of operational possible alterations and just trying to reduce expenses the best we can," Tederous said.

And, if you've driven past the airports, you might notice that the parking lots are pretty empty. The NFTA says only 10 to 15 percent of the normal number of people are flying, so that's also impacting the financial picture to the tune of more than $22 million.

The NFTA says it will have to see where things stand in the next few months as it moves forward with a financial plan. It needs to see what kind of state and federal funding come in. It was able to get more than $84 million in federal CARES Act funding.

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