As per Buffalo Board of Education guidance, charter and parochial school students from the city of Buffalo will receive a bus pass to get to and from school. Buffalo Public School students will be notified regarding bus pass distribution once the district has decided on the first day of in-class learning.
The Buffalo Board of Education and the NFTA will allow students to travel to and from school for free during the first week of school. Beginning on September 14th, all students traveling to and from school must have a September Only pass. Parents or guardians will be expected to provide their students with the fare to get to school if you live within 1.5 miles of the school.
Typically during September, but there can be delays. Until your student receives their bus pass, they should continue to use the September Only pass. Please contact your school’s administration for further details.
School passes are valid beginning September 8, 2020. This pass is only valid for transportation to and from school between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and from 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Students with work-study passes will be permitted to travel from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
A special is an NFTA Metro bus provided only on school days to bring students to school in the morning or to take them toward their homes after school. The special can follow an existing bus route or a route exclusively for that particular trip. Check with school security to find out which specials are assigned to your school.
Students will be able to board any regular NFTA bus route and Metro Rail when a valid school-issued bus pass is presented to the bus operator or fare inspector. Check with your school administration for any routing questions to get to and from school.
Please direct your student to report the lost or stolen bus pass to their school administration as soon as possible. It can take up to ten days to get a new bus pass.
Your student should let the operator, fare inspector, or transit police officer know about the situation immediately.
No, we require all passengers to wear a face-covering when boarding the bus or rail and for the duration of their trip. We advise parents and guardians to provide your student with more than one face covering.
NFTA bus operators will not carry extra masks for students, so we recommend you providing your child with a backup mask just in case they lose it.
Non-alcohol based hand sanitizer will be available on all buses and trains.
Check with https://www.nfta.com/about/public-information/covid-19-coronavirus for the latest information on changes to service and procedures, especially if you might need additional assistance.
Please limit touching frequently touched surfaces such as kiosks, digital interfaces such as touchscreens and ticket machines, handrails, elevator buttons, and benches as much as possible. If you must touch these surfaces, as soon as you can, wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or rub your hands with sanitizer. Use touch-less payment and no-touch trash cans and doors when available.
Follow social distancing guidelines by staying at least 6 feet (2 meters) from people who are not from your household. Avoid gathering in groups, and stay out of crowded spaces when possible, especially at transit stations and stops. Consider skipping a row of seats between yourself and other riders, if possible. Look for social distancing instructions offered by the NFTA on the vehicle.
Development of an extensive "Back to School" marketing campaign directed to students to include COVID-related protocols when riding public transportation with an emphasis on the following:
  • Targeted graphics and posters on our website, within our rail stations, on vehicles and bus shelters promoting the wearing of face coverings and the importance social distancing
  • Automated Bus Announcements reminding passengers to wear face coverings.
  • "Back to School” orientation video created specifically for students that incorporates information relating to COVID-19 in addition to our standard rules and regulations.
  • Social Media Campaign geared explicitly toward students (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).
We are cleaning vehicles daily, with high-frequency touch-points being sanitized intermittently throughout the day.
  • We are continually updating policies and protocols to be aligned with the Department of Health and Center for Disease Control's guidance.
  • We are limiting the total number of passengers, inclusive of students, to no more than 24 individuals per bus to promote social distancing. Individual seats will not be blocked off, allowing passengers to determine their comfort level relating to proximity to others.
  • We require all passengers to wear a face-covering when boarding the bus and for the duration of their trip.
If there are two groups of students, we will identify an appropriate color scheme that is unique to each separate group of students. Passes will only be good for each group on their respective day of school. Passes will not be good on days where students are not traveling to school.
Students have access to any available vehicle during the time frame in which their pass is valid, just like any other passenger. However, if an afternoon school special is provided and starts at a respective school, it can be limited to only students traveling between that school and their destination during the COVID-19 pandemic.