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NFTA cancels non essential Bills game bus route; charter service available

By Glenn Gramigna

Frank D'Agostino, the leading bus tour operator in Niagara Falls, says he is ready to take all former NFTA riders to the Bills games on his charter buses.
NFTA vice chairman Henry Sloma says that taxpaye- supported NFTA should take care of essential needs of public transit riders ahead of people wanting rides to the Bills’ games.

Early last month, a group of local residents could be seen forlornly spending the latter hours of a late summer's afternoon waiting for a bus at the Factory Outlet Mall... And waiting... And waiting.

Colorfully adorned in Buffalo Bills garb, complete with hats and jerseys, the group was craning their necks looking for the NFTA bus which had been delivering them from the humdrum of their daily lives to the world class excitement of NFL football for decades. The problem was that this service had been canceled without their being aware of the change.

Many of them had compelling reasons to mourn this loss. For example, John and Diane Ciavaglia of the Town of Niagara are both 76 years old and simply don't like the idea of having to drive through a lot of heavy traffic from Niagara County to Orchard Park on game days. Paul Chiodo, also of Niagara, often takes his 83 year old father to the Sunday afternoon contests.
Bryan Martha of Niagara Falls is a 100% disabled veteran who is forced to take pain pills that make driving long distances potentially hazardous.

A feisty group of football lovers, a number of these folks contacted the Niagara Falls Reporter to voice their disappointment and seek a remedy.

“The money is not the issue,” says Martha. “We are willing to pay higher fares. We just want to find a way we can get to the games.”

Yet, this controversy leads to a larger philosophical issue: Should a taxpayer-funded public utility such as the NFTA be using public dollars to subsidize trips to football games?

Through the years, the fares the NFTA charged the Bills fans for round trips to the Bills’ games varied from a couple of dollars to $7.

The problem is that the NFTA is not free to charge fares high enough to cover their expenses on this or for that matter any other route.

“By law we are not allowed to compete with charter companies,” explains NFTA Vice Chairman Henry Sloma. “If we raised fares into that realm, we would be competing with charter companies and that's where we could get into trouble.”

But, more than that, Sloma doesn't feel that ferrying fans to Bills games is a necessary part of the NFTA's mission.

“We have limited resources and we have to use those resources in the smartest way we can,” he explains. “We understand that the people who go to the games are disappointed. But, if there are people who can't go to the doctor or go to work, that is obviously a bigger impact.”

Sloma points out that the NFTA gets state and federal assistance, the latter for capital acquisitions such as buying new buses.

“Then there is a community contribution,” he adds. “Both Erie and Niagara counties give us a share of their mortgage recording tax. On top of that, Erie County contributes a share of their sales tax revenues which amounts to about $17 million.”

Clearly, the Bills’ fans who stood in vain at that bus stop several weeks ago do not dwell beneath the poverty line. Most of the ones with whom we spoke are season ticket holders who pay anywhere from $225 to $720 each for the privilege of cheering their team through two pre-season games and eight regular season battles every year at the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.

On the other hand, proud WNYers seek a solution to their problem. But, in the private sector where the opportunity for answers seems higher.

The Reporter asked the leading tour operator in Niagara Falls Frank “Chick” D'Agostino of Cataract Tours. He seemed interested in the opportunity.

“We would definitely be willing to consider this. I already run charters to the Bills games,” he said. “We could take a group of 30 passengers or more to the Bills games and wait for them to come back. We would charge about $20 each.”

Adds Bills’ fan and former NFTA bus rider Chiodo, “We just love going to the games. If we can find a bus company that would be willing to take us there and hopefully drop us off a little closer to the entrance to the Stadium so that our older and handicapped friends can come, we'd be very happy.”

Contact D'Agostino of Cataract Tours, at 283-3547 for more information.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter www.niagarafallsreporter.com Oct 02 , 2012