NFTA and BNMC Collaborate to Extend Bus Routes Directly to the Medical Campus
Added stops provide convenience for Medical Campus employees, visitors and patients
Buffalo, N.Y. June 15, 2017 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) have announced the extension of two current bus routes that will drop and pick up riders directly on the Medical Campus Mondays through Fridays. Some trips for routes #14 Abbott and the #16 South Park, both traveling to and from South Buffalo, Lackawanna, Blasdell and Hamburg, will be extended to Carlton and Ellicott streets in the heart the Medical Campus beginning on June 19th. Both routes currently end at Mohawk and Ellicott Streets in downtown Buffalo.
The extended routes will allow riders from south of the city to access the Medical Campus without transferring to another bus, making the ride more convenient and direct. It will also allow those on and around the Medical Campus to directly access Solar City, ECC South, McKinley Mall and other points south of downtown. Park and ride lots at the beginning of both routes at McKinley Mall and at Erie Community College also offer access and convenience to the Medical Campus for residents in the Southtowns.
According to William Smith, Director of Access for the BNMC, Inc., “By partnering with the NFTA, we are finding new ways to provide more access to the Medical Campus without adding more cars to the neighborhood. This access, coupled with the Corporate Pass Program offered through the NFTA, will help to make the commute to the Medical Campus more convenient, affordable and healthy for all.”
The Corporate Pass Program offers Medical Campus employees, a discounted monthly transit pass for $55, a savings of $20 from NFTA monthly passes. Employees can save even more because the passes are purchased with pre-tax dollar earnings.
Buffalo Common Council President and Ellicott District Common Council Member Darius G. Pridgen commented, “Since transportation can often be an impediment to jobs, we are delighted that commuters will have a more direct and convenient way to access jobs on the Medical Campus as well as to opportunities at Solar City and other employers south of the city. These types of changes can have a big impact of residents’ lives.”
“The NFTA is thrilled to partner with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus,” said Kimberley A. Minkel, NFTA Executive Director. “We are tremendously proud to be able to support the BNMC by providing this enhanced bus service that will serve employees, patients and visitors of BNMC.”
Through its GOBNMC program, the BNMC works with several transportation partners to develop strategies and programs designed to address the rapid growth of the Medical Campus community and to provide alternative transportation options including transit, bicycling, walking, car share and other programs. For more information regarding these programs go to www.GOBNMC.ORG. The NFTA is proud to provide 8 routes at the BNMC.
About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.
The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. www.bnmc-old.local.
For more information, contact:
Susan Kirkpatrick, BNMC Inc. skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local
716.866.8002(m)