The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority will receive a $650,000 federal grant for a plan to upgrade bus service along Bailey Avenue, the Federal Transit Administration announced Friday.
The NFTA has announced plans to improve Bailey Avenue bus service, now covered by the #19 Metro Bus route, so that it meets the highest industry standards for modern transit. Part of the plan is to pursue funding for "bus rapid transit," or BRT.
While the #19 local service would continue, BRT could introduce buses using dedicated lanes and synchronized signals. The upgrade also could include bumped-out curbs to accommodate specially designed buses, and fewer but more sophisticated stops with ticket machines that would eliminate the need for riders to pay fares on board buses. It could also involve light rail stations resembling Metro Rail stops, rather than bus shelters.
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"It's an exciting project for riders," said Helen Tederous, a spokeswoman for the NFTA on Friday.
"It's going to reduce travel times, increase bus frequency – which is huge – and enhance transit amenities, such as shelters, and address overall environmental issues by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions," Tederous added.
In a Feb. 7, 2021, Buffalo News article, NFTA director of public transit Thomas George described the proposed BRT as very similar to light rail.
"The stations would be spaced further apart, with traffic and lane infrastructure amenities, and dedicated lanes that could make it faster travel than even by car. In the best-case scenario, we could improve travel time by as much as 40%," George said last year.
The buses could be larger and bendable in the middle, similar to those seen in New York City or Toronto, and they might be electrically charged, he added. Â
While Metro Bus usage overall decreased by about half during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, ridership on the #19Â Bailey Avenue route remained steady. It was one of the NFTA's most "transit dependent" routes, according to George.
The transit administration said it was awarding $16.2 million in grants that will help fund 40 transportation projects in 32 states through its Areas of Persistent Poverty program. The competitive grants are awarded to state and local governments, as well as transit agencies and nonprofit groups. The aim, the agency said, is to help create better transit for residents who have limited or no transportation options, and achieve other goals such as increasing service and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
The FTA grants are awarded for planning, engineering and technical studies or financial plans to improve transit in Census-defined low-income areas.
