Niagara County conducting survey on rural transportation program

The Niagara County Department of Public Works is conducting an online survey related to the county’s rural transportation program in an effort to evaluate riders’ needs, potentially develop new routes and look for ways to increase usage. The survey is currently available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NCSurvey2021.

“I’ve always believed that the county’s rural transportation program is a tremendous asset that is vastly underutilized and we need to find why and address that,” said Garret Meal, Niagara County’s commissioner of public works. “Hopefully, both users and non-users will take just a few minutes to participate in the survey.”

Currently, Niagara County runs four bus routes. Route 1 is North Tonawanda/Niagara Falls/Lockport. Route 2 is Lockport/Middleport. Route 3 is Wilson/Olcott/Lockport. Route 4 is Ransomville/Youngstown/Lewiston.

The fare for an “on route” trip is $2. For a fare of $4, the bus will go “off route” up to three quarters of mile for an individual who cannot get to a scheduled stop. “Off route” rides must be scheduled a day before the ride by calling 716-285-9357. For more information on rural transportation, visit https://www.niagaracounty.com/County-Information/Public-Transportation-Schedule.

“We know we have the components in place to have a robust transportation system in Niagara County, which includes better coordination with our partners like the NFTA,” Meal said. “But we want to make sure any changes we make are based on input from those who use the service or may potentially use it going forward.”