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Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

Serving Buffalo Niagara

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Executive Director's Message

NFTA.com > Executive Director's Message

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is a multimodal entity encompassing a skilled and dedicated work force. We are firmly committed to providing efficient and professional transportation services that enhance the quality of life throughout the Buffalo Niagara region in a manner consistent with the needs of our customers.

The NFTA's goal is to go beyond serving current needs of our customers with an eye toward the future.  Our efforts to attract low fare airlines to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport has had a positive effect of lowering overall airfares, making our airport more affordable for our customers.  In 2006 for the first time in the airport’s history we surpassed a one-year total of five million-passengers, accomplishing the milestone 14-years ahead of projections. 

In addition, the BNIA has improved from being the second most expensive airport to use in 1996 to the 71 in 2005, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation Consumer Report, and has set passenger records in each of the last three years. The airport has become a regional attraction with a low fare image that attracts travelers from destinations such as Toronto, southern Ontario, Jamestown, Rochester and Erie, Pa. 

At the Niagara Falls International Airport,Myrtle Beach Direct will commence twice weekly flights to Myrtle Beach.  People will be able to fly non-stop to Myrtle Beach from March 9 through November 1, to play golf, visit friends, or just to enjoy the local hospitality.  Our air service development team has been aggressively marketing the Niagara Falls airport worldwide.  Having Myrtle Beach Direct Air will add new momentum to our efforts and hopefully attract other carriers to Niagara Falls.

We are moving forward with our plans to build a new terminal at the Niagara Falls International Airport.  A design concept for the new terminal has been completed and construction documents are expected to be ready in June, as is the financing.

At NFTA-METRO, we are aggressively working to enhance the quality of life of residents and visitors by providing the highest level of responsive and reliable transportation through a coordinated and convenient bus and rail system. 

Metro became the second transit agency in New York State to start using hybrid electric buses when 30, 40-foot hybrids were introduced to its fleet.  An additional 13 hybrids will be added in this spring.  The 43 buses will replace an equal number of the oldest conventional diesel fueled buses now operating in a fleet of 330 buses.  The hybrids will be assigned to routes throughout Metro’s service area in Erie and Niagara counties

The hybrid purchase is part of our GO GREEN commitment and demonstrates the NFTA’s willingness to explore every possible alternative for cost-effective, clean-air transportation.  By adding cutting-edge hybrid bus technology to our current fleet, we are not only being socially responsible by reducing air pollution, we are lowering our operating costs based on improved fuel consumption and a decrease in maintenance costs.

Hybrids are environmentally friendly.  The two-mode hybrid system produces 90 percent less hydrocarbon, 90 percent less carbon monoxide emissions, 50 percent less nitrogen oxides than conventional diesel buses, and lowers particulate emissions (tiny pieces of soot and dust) by up to 90 percent.

I am pleased to say that over the past three years Metro ridership has been increasing by 1 to 2 percent annually.  During the 2005-06 fiscal year, Metro carried 23.9 million passengers on its bus, light rail and paratransit systems.  Ridership continues its upward trend, as in the first nine months of fiscal year 2006-07; Metro carried 17,645,512 riders, representing an increase of 2.6 percent over the previous nine months.

Our property department will continue to manage and develop NFTA owned real property to optimize the generation of self-supporting discretionary revenue to support our transportation businesses while fostering economic growth.

On behalf of the 1,543 dedicated men and women who work at the Authority, it is our collective hope that you find favor with the various services that we provide.  I also hope that you find our Web site to be helpful and informative while at the same time opening another channel of communication for you to reach us. Please send us an e-mail if you have a question or a comment.  We love to hear from our customers, as it allows us an opportunity to provide you with the best and most informative customer service possible.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lawrence M. Meckler