Community Engagement

The most recent NFTA Community Impact Report captures our unwavering commitment and continuous drive for positive change. ...

Award-winning local artist Jalen Law reveals his thought-provoking mural on the walls of Metro’s Portage Road Transportation Center in Niagara Falls. The eye-catching mural creates an inspiring visual experience at the Transportation Center.Law’s intention for the mural was to design a piece of artwork that would resonate with the community and empower them to make their voices heard. The incredible artwork that fills the space with beauty, color, and visual interest includes an interactive QR code that viewers can scan to provide feedback. ...

Metro’s Allen Medical Station is home to the wonderfully energetic sculpture called Gut Flora.  The piece was commissioned by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for the NFTA in support of a combined effort to promote public art within Metro’s public transportation system.Artist Shasti O’Leary Soundant created the artwork, which is 15' tall and 25' wide with 260 brightly colored interlocking pieces designed to resemble a “beneficial bacteria colony”.  The placement of the artwork is highly relevant because Allen Station is at the base of the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. ...

The NFTA partnered with Cobblestone District Business owners and the Albright-Knox Public Art Initiative to produce a series of murals at the DL&W terminal. The large low wall of the terminal is now a series of 13 painted panels. One has been set aside as an informative panel and each of the remaining 12 panels has been painted by a different artist. The works of art were completed by both local and national artists. ...

The NFTA, in partnership with the WNY Urban Arts Collective, created the annual Black History Month bus wrap contest. The first winner was local artist Monet Kifner, who won for her work entitled, “Black Excellence: Told By the Graces”, which highlights the various accomplishments met and exceeded through past and current adversity and hardships. The stunning artwork was placed on the sides of various Metro buses and seen by thousands while gracing the streets of WNY. ...

A lasting tribute was made at the Utica Station on Main Street in honor of Robert T. Coles, the famed Buffalo Architect. Coles, who sadly passed away in 2020, was a true pioneer in architecture, a community activist, and a founding member of the National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA). Coles designed numerous modernist landmark buildings in his native Buffalo including the Alumni Arena and Natatorium at the University at Buffalo, the Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Library on Jefferson Avenue, as well as the Utica Station on Main Street, where the special event took place.The NFTA is proud to honor Mr. Coles with the naming of this station, a true example of Coles’ modernist design style, which incorporates the use ...

The NFTA partnered with Tim Hortons on Michigan Avenue in Buffalo to kick off its Coffee with a Cop Program.  Our Transit Police and K-9 teams had the opportunity to meet with community members and student groups who were excited to stop by.  Coffee with a Cop is a long-standing national law enforcement program that brings police officers and the community members they serve together, over coffee, “to discuss issues and learn more about each other”. ...

In 2023, the NFTA unveiled the amazing winning artwork from local artist, Tyshaun Tyson, who created the piece that features a stunning depiction of Black inventor Garrett Morgan holding his invention, the traffic signal, with red, yellow, and green lights beaming through a dark sky. ...

NFTA leadership and Senator Tim Kennedy teamed up to join the community to announce the completion of the beautification project for the Buffalo Freedom Wall. With the generous funding of more than $700,000 from Senator Kennedy and partnerships with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, and the East Side Garden Club, the NFTA has enhanced the sidewalk area along Michigan and Ferry Streets to include state-of-the-art lighting, new curbing, and improvements in sidewalk accessibility. The NFTA is proud to continue its work in providing public art to the city and ensuring the beauty of Buffalo is accessible to all. ...

The NFTA is proud to take part in the Pride Festival that draws thousands of people to downtown Buffalo to celebrate the Western New York LGBTQ community. The parade and week-long event celebrates the strengthening power of open-arms diversity and is a great opportunity to join together and affirm the power of love, inclusivity, and unity. ...

Celebrating Disability Pride! The NFTA is proud to work with Western New York Independent Living's family of agencies and many other organizations for this important observance.  Disability Pride Month is observed every July to commemorate the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.   ...

The Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo is a popular event for the NFTA, and we enjoy taking part in the annual celebration that began in 1976.  You will see many of our employees in the parade at the weekend event. We value and promote Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo’s mission of actively preserving and promoting the broad spectrum of African American Heritage through educational and cultural activities. ...

The NFTA enjoys participating in Buffalo’s annual Puerto Rican and Hispanic Heritage Festival. More than 30 employees march down Niagara Street alongside our specially designed Metro Bus representing the native foliage of Puerto Rico while greeting hundreds of parade-goers. This event is a wonderful way to support the Puerto Rican community we serve and its rich culture.  ...

The NFTA partnered with FeedMore Western New York in a Holiday Food Drive to support those in need in our community.  The drive was open to our employees and community members with drop-off locations across the NFTA.  We successfully collected 500+ pounds of non-perishables, which provided an estimated 415 meals for WNY residents during the holiday season. ...

The NFTA often partners with the Salvation Army throughout the year. Our Gifts of Warmth Drive is a big part of our annual Sounds of the Season Program.  The NFTA features musical groups from Buffalo Public Schools at our headquarters, and we successfully collected more than 1,200 "gifts of warmth".  These items included mittens, hats, scarves, and socks to benefit local families. ...

The Akron "Santa" Marching Band visited the downtown bus terminal to share some big band holiday joy. The band has partnered with the NFTA in our Sounds of the Season Program for 10+ years and is a fan favorite among bus terminal visitors.  ...

NFTA team members were on the plaza at Sahlen Field for our annual Community Night at the Ballpark.  In addition to providing opportunities for gamegoers to check out Metro, Transit Police, and Airport Fire vehicles, we had the chance to engage individuals about Metro services and job opportunities. All gamegoers showing proof of Metro fare also get $2 off game tickets throughout the  season.   ...

NFTA-Metro, the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry partnered to offer free Saturday bus service to connect riders to seven of Western New York’s most popular parks. This special service starts in June and runs through late summer. This initiative was developed as a result of feedback from a Bus Network Improvement Study indicating a significant number of riders desire direct service to local parks and beaches. Western New York is full of amazing places to enjoy, and this program will provide access to its community gems. ...

The NFTA, in partnership with the City of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Falls Hotel Association, launched its seasonal Metro Trolley Service with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the heart of Niagara Falls.  The service provides an easy and efficient way for visitors to move around the City of Niagara Falls and throughout Western New York.  Metro trolleys serve Niagara Falls Boulevard, Pine Avenue, The Niagara Falls Airport, and downtown Niagara Falls, USA. This service is free for guests at participating Niagara Falls hotels and motels. ...