BUFFALO, N.Y. — Citing a worker shortage during the COVID pandemic, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority on Thursday announced that it will temporarily reduce some services, starting Monday.
The NFTA says:
- Eight out of 12 express routes will be suspended. The remaining three are express routes that are the only type of bus service in that area.
- Evenings after 6 p.m. and the weekend bus service will have longer wait times between pickups.
- Any city bus services supporting local school boards for their extracurriculars is suspended. This will not impact kids just getting to and from school on the city bus.
- Para-transit will not be impacted.
- Rail service will not be impacted.
“The ability to reliably serve our customers continues to be a challenge due to our ongoing driver shortage,” according to Tom George, the NFTA's director of public transit.
“Our riders need to have confidence that their ride will be available as scheduled, and these service modifications will allow us to maintain our commitment to the community. We realize change can be difficult, but our focus remains to provide the best service possible to our riders with the available resources.”
The NFTA says labor issues during the pandemic include absenteeism from workers sick with COVID.
"While NFTA-Metro navigates through a major demand for bus operators, the increase in workforce positive COVID-19 test results creates additional driver shortages," the NFTA said in a statement. "These service adjustments are designed to minimize any hardship on riders."
In an effort to help recruitment, the NFTA is boosting marketing efforts. Last weekend 27 people showed up for an open house.
Public Affairs Director Helen Tederous says that's promising news considering the time of year.
"We are really doing everything possible to recruit as rigorously as we can," Tederous says. "Seven of those 27 are actually taking the drivers test."
And while this decision isn't an ideal one, the NFTA hopes it enhances the overall customer experience by improving transport reliability.
"We were having to cut routes sporadically, that is something that is very problematic for riders," Tederous says.
But some riders say they're concerned with the company's decision.
One rider from Buffalo tells 2 On Your Side, "I don't know how I'll get around. Uber prices have been jacking up, too, to like $25 for a seven-minute ride. I don't know with the snow is like this. That is upsetting."
Another person said, "It's going to make it worse."
As for how long this temporary new schedule will last, the NFTA says that for right now, there's no telling. But as soon as they can add, they'll start adding.
The NFTA provided a link on its website, reflecting all of the changes that will start next month.
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