BUFFALO, N.Y. — As of Nov. 1, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority starts its new changes to the public transportation system.
Here are a few:
- All reduced-fare passengers must have an official NFTA-Metro issued the reduced fare card to get a discount.
- All children ten and over must pay full fare. Children 9 and under ride free with a paid fare of three children max.
- You will no longer be able to purchase day passes on the bus. Load stored value to receive fare-capping benefits. (No more than $5 for three or more rides.)
- MetGo cards can be purchased at participating stores, ticket vending machines, and Metro's Customer Service Center or users can download the MetGo app.
- All below-ground transit stations will now have fare gates. Payment is required to enter and exit.
NFTA's communication manager, Kelly Khatib, said many big cities are trying to move public transportation to a cashless system. She said she read the concerns on social media so the new changes will be a "progressive thing."
However, when the fare gates were first installed, they didn't generate revenue for the transportation system. Khatib says they would trust riders to use the honor system.
"We were kind of testing them out and doing a soft roll out of them. Yes, they were just able to walk on right through. Now those fare gates will be activated, so you're going to have to make sure you have some sort of payment to get through them," Khatib says.
You can download the MetGo app in the app store. MetGo cards can be picked up at any NFTA terminal.