NFTA Metro Bus

[dtwarren]

From: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article679048.ece

Some commuters traveling to jobs in the suburbs will no longer be able to count on a bus for work, and up to 170 positions will be eliminated after the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority voted Monday to "right size" the local transit system and fill a $14.7 million deficit.

Unless there is an unexpected restoration of at least some operating assistance significantly reduced by Albany over the past few years, passengers of Metro Bus and Rail will encounter dramatically reduced service when the new $197.9 million budget takes effect April 1.

Some rural routes will be eliminated altogether, some suburban and even some city runs will be adversely affected, and subway service will end at 8 p.m. most Sundays.

But while the NFTA opted against hiking the $1.75 basic fare in favor of the service reductions, the move did not come without opposition. The 7-3 vote reflected concern that transportation will be denied to the growing number of "reverse commuters" working in the suburbs.

Porposed route changes are available here: http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/...oposed+by+NFTA

[WNYresident]

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Figure most of the departmental directors, about 13 of them, earn an average salary of between 95 and 120 K, how does that play out? Then you have Superintendents, 80 to 95 K, and managers 70 to 85 K. It starts to add up, given the multiple layers of management throughout the Authority. If you compared the growth of the management and administrative staffs over the past 30 years, it's probably almost doubled in that time. The BNIA has more management positions today than it did when there were two terminals. And why does the NFTA need a marketing department? Don't we already know there are buses?

BTW, when Larry Meckler retired, his salary was close to, if not over, $200,000. Former Surface Transportation Director, Walt Zmuda, retired at over $125,000 per year, and is now working as a consultant to the NFTA in addition to his pension. The list goes on...

The sad part is, it is not just the NFTA that has this structure. We would have similar findings at any one of the many authorities throughout the state, Thruway, Power, Water...

So in short we have our "authorities" creating quite a few millionaires?

[wnyerlaughs]

So in short we have our "authorities" creating quite a few millionaires?

send someone over there for "occupy NFTA".

Go down to nia square and get someone on record to ask them what they think of this concentration of wealth which is wholly finded by taxpayers.

[Linda_D]

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Figure most of the departmental directors, about 13 of them, earn an average salary of between 95 and 120 K, how does that play out? Then you have Superintendents, 80 to 95 K, and managers 70 to 85 K. It starts to add up, given the multiple layers of management throughout the Authority. If you compared the growth of the management and administrative staffs over the past 30 years, it's probably almost doubled in that time. The BNIA has more management positions today than it did when there were two terminals. And why does the NFTA need a marketing department? Don't we already know there are buses?

BTW, when Larry Meckler retired, his salary was close to, if not over, $200,000. Former Surface Transportation Director, Walt Zmuda, retired at over $125,000 per year, and is now working as a consultant to the NFTA in addition to his pension. The list goes on...

The sad part is, it is not just the NFTA that has this structure. We would have similar findings at any one of the many authorities throughout the state, Thruway, Power, Water...

Not ony that, but you can bet your bottom dollar that none of these overpaid do-nothings will be among the 170 people losing their jobs because these politically connected leeches are "untouchables" -- unless the govie they're connected to gets booted out of office.

The biggest bloat in the state government payrolls and pensions are non-competitive, non-Civil Service "management/confidential" appointments which are nothing more than political appointments, and this is especially true in the authorities. Some of these authorities are outright scams like the Sacandaga-Black River Flood Control Authority (or some of a similar name) is simply a group of a dozen political appointees who meet less than once a month and are paid thousands of dollars to do so annually (I want to say $25-75K each).

Anybody who's an "assistant associate deputy director of " something or other with any state agency or authority is nothing but a political hack or a relative of a political hack.

[WNYresident]

Look at the millions they are hoarding for themselves. One example can be a possible $5,180,000 for one employee alone. Multiply that by the countless "authorites".

[Psycho1]

I can't do it, but if anyone wants to file a FOIA request for salaries, contact:

Debbie Leous, CFO
NFTA
181 Ellicott Street
Buffalo, NY 14203

You can get a break down of positions and the associated salaries that go with them. Pay special attention to those with the titles of "Director", "Superintendent", or "Manager", and you'll find the amounts stagering. You'll find they start at around $70,000 and go from there, up tp Kim Minkels $170,000 salary. The airport is really interesting when you see the multiple layers of management there.

Found it funny that Ms. Minkel circumvented the question about taking a pay cut, from Scott Brown of Channel 2 News. Pretty sure all of us could live comfortably on half her salary

[WNYresident]

Found it funny that Ms. Minkel circumvented the question about taking a pay cut, from Scott Brown of Channel 2 News. Pretty sure all of us could live comfortably on half her salary

YOu me our poor lower income people will lose services while the people who run the bus company drive not one Lexus but two Lexuses? Gee I sound like Jim Keane and Lenny at the heartstone fund raiser. When will the OWS people start protesting in front of these millionaire's homes?

[Psycho1]

They could just move into the bus terminal, at 181 Ellicott Street, I think the NFTA Police might actually welcome them right now. There's restrroms, a small restaurant, heat, and other ammenities they might enjoy. That way, Kim and all of the others would have to see them every day as they came to work.

[benp]

I find it interesting that the cutbacks are occurring AFTER a significant increase in ridership on both buses (+8.65%) and rail (+19.54%) from a year ago.

http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pres...Ridership.aspx

http://www.apta.com/resources/statis...rship-APTA.pdf

Service cutbacks will in turn reduce ridership and therefore even less revenue, along with the effects associated with more cars on the road as a result.

[Psycho1]

benp,
Why are you surprised? The common saying within the NFTA, is that the accronym stands for No F**king Thinking Allowed. You would only need to listen to the upper management in their meetings, to figure out they really don't have a clue as to what they're doing. Probably the reason they hire so many consultants. They are more concerned with protecting their position than they are providing service to the community. Most of them have only riden a bus for photo ops, or because they were forced to, by a program that was tried and is probably long gone. The Exec. Director has reserved parking right outside the building. The other Directors have reserved parking along Ellicott Street. None of them need, or depend on, public transportation to get to work. Think of the auto executives who flew to Washington in private planes, even as their companies were tanking, fairly similar.

[WNYresident]

Do you guys think that the people that are the administration of the NFTA could be replace by people for far less money and do a more efficient job?

[Psycho1]

Do you guys think that the people that are the administration of the NFTA could be replace by people for far less money and do a more efficient job?

Oh hell yes! First, you have to take the "Authority" out, and either make it a part of the DOT, or privatize the system. Although, I'm not sure a private transportation company could do much better, having worked for one of those as well, but it's an option.

Problem is the politicians need somewhere to reward their friends with do nothing jobs. One $100,000 plus position, created in 2002, came just after 60 people were laid off because of funding. They also created a new department with two $70,000 per year jobs at the same time. And these positions had nothing to do with the operations in any way, they were in PR and Marketing, and one duplicated a position already in existance. But, because of these positions, we were able to see Larry Meckler ride a bus with a penguin.

Give me the job at a fraction of what the ED gets, and I would trim a lot of useless positions, hold people accountable for their departments, and improve the quality of the service. And do it within six months, as long as the political hacks stay off my ass.

[WNYresident]

Give me the job at a fraction of what the ED gets, and I would trim a lot of useless positions, hold people accountable for their departments, and improve the quality of the service. And do it within six months, as long as the political hacks stay off my ass.

Well how does this get presented to the powers that monitor our NFTA?

I believe any successful city should have some type of efficient transportation system to prosper if needed. Doesn't mean the transportation system should be filled with over paid political favors or over spent on either as the subway was.

Doesn't Andrew Cuomo have any say on how authorities are ran?

[Psycho1]

Well how does this get presented to the powers that monitor our NFTA?

I believe any successful city should have some type of efficient transportation system to prosper if needed. Doesn't mean the transportation system should be filled with over paid political favors or over spent on either as the subway was.

Doesn't Andrew Cuomo have any say on how authorities are ran?

It's all in the hands of the NYS Government. It was feared, at the NFTA, that when Cuomo became the Gov, he was going to abolish the authority system. Unfortunately, I haven't heard a word about it. Maybe, between the NFTA and MTA budget messes, he'll get the ball rolling.

[dtwarren]

Below is the NFTA payroll data for 2009:

NFTA Payroll 2009