Buffalo’s public transportation runs through one agency — NFTA-Metro — which operates nearly every bus route in Erie and Niagara counties along with the city’s Metro Rail light-rail line. One fare card works on both.
The basics
Metro Rail is a 6.4-mile light-rail line with 13 stations, running from DL&W Station in downtown Buffalo up Main Street — through downtown, the Theatre District, and the medical corridor — out to University Station at the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. Around it, NFTA-Metro runs 47 bus routes across the Buffalo-Niagara region, so between the two you can get to most of the city and its inner suburbs without a car.
How to pay
You’ve got three main ways to pay:
- Tap a MetGo card — NFTA-Metro’s reloadable smart card. Buy and reload one at ticket machines in every Metro Rail station, at the Metropolitan Transportation Center, at both Buffalo Niagara International and Niagara Falls International airports, or at participating stores (Tops Markets, 7-Eleven, CVS, Walgreens, Family Dollar). Set up an online MetGo account and your balance is protected if the card is lost or stolen.
- Buy in the Token Transit app — purchase a single ride, a round-trip rail ticket, or a day or 7-day pass with a credit or debit card, then scan the QR code when you board.
- Pay cash on the bus — accepted for a single ride on any route. The catch: cash doesn’t count toward the daily, weekly, or monthly fare caps, and it doesn’t get the reduced-fare discount unless you’re using a Reduced Fare MetGo card.
One thing to know: passes bought at a ticket machine aren’t eligible for reduced-fare pricing — reduced-fare riders should pay with a Reduced Fare MetGo card instead.
Fares
| Single ride | Daily cap | Weekly cap | Monthly cap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular (ages 10–64) | $2.00 | $5.00 | $25.00 | $75.00 |
| Reduced (65+, disability, Community Care) | $1.00 | $2.50 | $12.50 | $37.50 |
| Kids under 10 | Free | — | — | — |
Riding adds up automatically: once your MetGo card has been charged $5.00 in a day, the rest of that day is free, and the same goes for the $25 weekly and $75 monthly marks. If you’d rather buy outright, a Day Pass is $5.00 and a 7-Day Pass is $25.00 — same price as the cap, sold at ticket machines or through Token Transit.
The Reduced Fare program is open to anyone 65 or older, anyone with a qualifying disability, or anyone in Erie or Niagara County’s Community Care program — apply for a $2 Reduced Fare MetGo card to use it.
Getting from the airport
NFTA-Metro runs three bus options between downtown Buffalo and Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), all at the regular $2.00 fare — there’s no airport surcharge:
- 24L Limited Stop — fewer stops for a faster trip, weekdays only, convenient if you’re headed all the way downtown.
- 24-Genesee — the full-coverage version of the same route, stopping everywhere along the way.
- 78-Cheektowaga Express — a short-window rush-hour-only express via the Kensington Expressway (Route 33).
NFTA-Metro doesn’t publish a travel time for any of these on its airport page, so budget extra time and check the schedule for your route before you go.
Apps to download
- MetGo — the official app for buying and reloading your fare card.
- Token Transit — NFTA-Metro’s partner app for buying tickets and passes and scanning them to ride.
- Transit — another NFTA-Metro partner app, good for step-by-step trip planning.
- Google Maps — fine for general trip planning with transit directions built in.
When it runs
Metro Rail and NFTA-Metro’s bus network run every day of the year; exact first and last trips vary by route, so check the schedule for your specific line on NFTA-Metro’s site before heading out.
Winter matters here. Buses and trains normally keep running through snowstorms — NFTA only pulls service in extreme conditions, like a driving ban. Expect slower trips in heavy snow and ice, and subscribe to Metro Alerts (by text or email) to hear about delays or detours on your route.
Accessibility
Every bus has a wheelchair lift or ramp and a kneeling feature, and operators announce major stops. Metro Rail trains and stations are built to be accessible, with two wheelchair securement spots per railcar, priority seating, and Braille and raised-letter signage; each station has a PACE call point for help or emergencies. If you’re boarding underground, you can use any railcar door; at the surface stations along Main Street, wheelchair riders board the first door of the first car.
A personal care attendant rides free alongside someone with a valid Reduced Fare ID, or when the need for one has been verified — apply through Metro Customer Service at 716-855-7211. Riders who are blind or low-vision can use the free Aira visual-interpreting app anywhere on the Metro network, and it’s free to use at Buffalo Niagara International Airport too.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Dress for the platform, not just the ride — Buffalo’s winters are real, and NFTA’s own advice is to dress warmly in case you’re waiting outside longer than planned.
- If your stop is buried in a snowbank, wait at the nearest cleared driveway or corner and wave the driver down — don’t stand on the snowbank or in the street.
- Watch your footing boarding in winter — melting snow and ice make bus floors slippery, so hold the handrail.
- Heading to UB’s South Campus or the medical campus? Metro Rail is usually the easiest way in from downtown — it runs straight up Main Street to both.
Good to know
- Cash riders: you can pay cash on any bus, but it’s single-ride only — no fare capping, and no reduced-fare pricing unless you’re carrying a Reduced Fare MetGo card.
- Visiting with kids in summer? NFTA-Metro’s Summer Go Pass gives riders up to 17 unlimited travel on bus and rail from the day after school lets out in June through the day before it resumes in September; it’s sold at the Metropolitan Transportation Center.
- Scale: NFTA-Metro’s network carried about 16 million rides in 2025 across its 47 bus routes and 13 rail stations — it’s a smaller system than you’ll find in bigger cities, but it covers the core of Buffalo well.