BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — The NFTA is conducting its annual Bus Stop Balancing Study to improve bus travel speeds by reducing the number of bus stops.
Some drivers like Uling Bunbury are excited.
WKBW
“I think it’s a really great idea and a great project. I think it will increase time efficiency enormously and just be better for people who commute and take the bus 24/7,” she says. “And it will save the extra stops that aren’t necessary in between.”
According to NFTA, bus stop balancing is designed to ensure buses are as efficient as possible.
WKBW
“For example, you don’t want a bus that’s packed all the time, and you don’t want buses that drive through the city almost empty, because that would be a waste of energy and resources,” says spokesperson Kelly Khatib. “To balance bus stops, we look at our system as a whole to make sure what works for the affected community and what doesn’t.”
Neighbors tell 7 News reporter Yoselin Peron that such a program could have a positive impact on the Delavan route.
WKBW
“I think it’s a good idea and study to do. There are some bus stops that are way too congested,” says Aja Threet, a bus driver with NFTA. “For example, I saw that they’re in the process of congesting the 26 route, and the 26 is the one I use a lot. I noticed that there are about four bus stops and they’re all a block apart, and I think that’s not necessary. I haven’t seen them making any changes to remove those. So that’s something to look at.”
The NFTA says they are currently removing information that needs to be changed.
WKBW
“One thing I would say is that when we put up these signs, we look at the stops, look at things as a whole and say, ‘Hey, in this area there’s a stop on every block, or in this area there’s a stop on the next block, and it’s constantly stopping and slowing down the bus line. We don’t want that,'” Khatib says.
Click here to learn more about the NFTA Bus Stop Compensation Study.
