The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority has done an about face. It has abandoned plans for cutting a number of bus routes from its service in order to deal with a looming deficit.
The NFTA Board of Commissioners Thursday voted for a 25-cent bus fare increase.
"NFTA, in many ways, has come out of its slumber and listened to the public ," said State Assemblyman Sean Ryan of Buffalo.
Ryan is applauding the NFTA's decision not to cut about one-fifth of its bus routes.
"I held a public hearing on this issue in January attended by more than 100 people. It became clear immediately that the people were not going to accept a massively reduced bus system," said Ryan.
The 25-cent fare hike would raise $5-million for the transportation authority. Bus fares would go from $1.75 to $2.00. Two more public hearings will be held on the fare hike before they would go into effect May 1st.
The NFTA will be conducting some restructuring of the bus routes. The Board also agreed to implement a citizen’s advisory panel.