NFTA Metro Bus

[dtwarren]

Since late 1990/early 1991 the NFTA has been receiving a percentage of Erie County's share of sales tax in exchange the NFTA agreed to certain service standards, and other consideration. A copy of this agreement is below.

Given the recent changes to the service by NFTA and their increase in fares and potential future increase in these fares do you think the NFTA is living up to its end of this agreement?

Should this agreement be rescinded?

Erie County Agreement

[Dougles]

Doesn't the NFTA only get 25% of its funding from its operating fees? (ie fares )

[nogods]

DT - I noticed you are using scribd. Did you notice that when you sign up to use scribd you agreed to allow scribd to "Post to Facebook as me - Scribd may post status messages, notes, photos, and videos on my behalf"?

Sounds like you sold your online soul.

[Psycho1]

We may see further cuts down the road. They are already predicting a 7 million shortfall next year, and possibly another 15 mil. the following. The problem is they're not willing to change the way they do business.

The Executive Director, and her management team of 13 directors, have combined salaries around $1,000,000. What is never talked about, and probably never will be, are bonuses paid to some of these people. We can't forget the various consultants used by the Authority, many retired employees collecting their State pensions and still working for the NFTA at greater costs than they were making before they retired. They hire Environmental consultants, even though they have an Environmental Engineer on staff. Better yet, construction engineer consultants with a staff of at least six engineers on the payroll. No one wants to take the blame if something goes wrong.

The airport has so many levels of management, I'm surprised they're not bumping into each other on a regular basis. The same holds true for the Metro Bus side of the house as well. There are at least three levels before you get to someone who can turn a wrench. There is so much room for consolidation it's rediculous.

One of their biggest money drains is the Workers' Compensation claims, which at last report costs about $7,000,000 per year. Again, everything outsourced to a third party administrator and law firm. They could cut the administration costs by doing everything in house, utilizing one of the four or five attorneys currently employed there, or hiring an attorney that specializes in WC.

Needless to say, there is a ton of waste at the NFTA, starting at the top. Sad part is they'll cut jobs of people who actually earn their money.

BTW, has anyone heard what is going on with the $27,000,000 rail car rebuild?

[Genoobie]

Oh sorry you must be confused. i thought it was the union employees that was causing all the waste...They ought to be careful on raising fares. I could very easily rideshare vs taking the metro. I do it because it is convenient. I know the MTA in NYC is very heavily subsidized. So much so that the roundtrip fare (that can actually take you somewhere) is $4.50 I'm not sure how a little town like Buffalo can justify much more than $3.50 for transportation that doesn't go anywhere very exciting.

[WNYresident]

Oh sorry you must be confused. i thought it was the union employees that was causing all the waste...They ought to be careful on raising fares. I could very easily rideshare vs taking the metro. I do it because it is convenient. I know the MTA in NYC is very heavily subsidized. So much so that the roundtrip fare (that can actually take you somewhere) is $4.50 I'm not sure how a little town like Buffalo can justify much more than $3.50 for transportation that doesn't go anywhere very exciting.

You should if you could. . If we could get everyone the rideshare we wouldn't need the NFTA. Correct? Neighbors helping neighbors.... that is what being a community is all about... We could easily save all that money and all that pollution. How many buses could we finally take off the road? You know how much fossil fuel we would save? AL Gore taught us about global warming... It's for the kids

Anyone know how many gallons of diesel the NFTA purchases a year? We could finally tell foreign oil companies we don't need any and all our wealth stays here versus going to the countries we buy oil from. Talk about burning money up...

Excellent idea Genoobie...

[Psycho1]

Oh sorry you must be confused. i thought it was the union employees that was causing all the waste...They ought to be careful on raising fares. I could very easily rideshare vs taking the metro. I do it because it is convenient. I know the MTA in NYC is very heavily subsidized. So much so that the roundtrip fare (that can actually take you somewhere) is $4.50 I'm not sure how a little town like Buffalo can justify much more than $3.50 for transportation that doesn't go anywhere very exciting.

No, I'm not confused, nor do I think the seven unions, with multiple bargaining units, is not without fault in this case. The simple truth is there is a great deal of mis-management in the NFTA. A bus driver who has been at Metro for some time earns approximately $22.00 per hour plus a host of benefits. Not to say they don't earn it, but some think they should make more. It's not as easy as it looks. Drivers have been assaulted, robbed, and are threatened on a daily basis, without much backup from the company.

NFTA Police average $70,000 to $90,000 per year with all of the over-time they get for court, special events, and various bonuses they recieve. They include: show up pay, pistol qualification, tactical driving, and some others.

The airport has several levels of management, almost all unionized. In fact, many of the managers and supervisors are union throughout the Authority. Over the past 15 years most of the management and supervisory staff have unionized under the Teamsters Local 264, and CSEA, driviing up their pay and benefits. Why you ask? Because they were not getting similar compensation to the union employees, and upper management kept screwing with them.

It's usually the non-represented employees that get the shaft when they talk about layoffs. These are people making far less than the protected workers and upper management, paying into their health care, and selling vacation time to pay their bills.

How do I know this? Am I guessing, or making assumptions? NO! I worked there for many years, non-represented, and was let go because my new manager didn't like that I knew more about the Authority and questioned some of her spending habits. See, when they hire new management off the street, very often the people who have been there, for almost 20 years, get kicked to the curb after we show them the ropes, because we make them look dumb. Once, I had to explain to my boss how to get from the bus terminal to Shea's, just down Main Street. I often questioned much of the spending that went on, such as many of the consulting firms hired to do what we could do in house. I still have friends at the Authority, and after talking to them, I'm glad I'm out of there.

As for car pooling, you should. You'll get there faster, and without having to stand outside. hoping your bus shows up.

[Jerry A]

Just join and you do not have to use facebook DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Psycho1]

The article in today's Buffalo News underscores what I've been saying all along, the NFTA is extremely top heavy in management. Look at the numbers in the property management department alone. Eight employees, with annual salaries of over $700,000, and that is just one department. Support services with 115 managers carries a payroll of "more than $11.4 million." And the list goes on. Unfortunately, they didn't get in to the airport payroll and organizational structure, which would show greater levels of management, and payroll. What many don't reallize is that there are two entities, under one umbrella. NFTA and NFTA-Metro, Inc. That comes with two payroll departments, two accounts recievable/payable departments, etc. All with the management to run those departments. Rarely, do the two companies cross into the others territory.

It's time to overhaul the NFTA, and the changes necessary will not come from within. Everyone is content with business as usual, and unwilling to rock the boat. Anyone who does question the status quo, is given their walking papers that include a clause limiting what they can say about the NFTA.


http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...icle717170.ece

[dtwarren]

From: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...icle717170.ece

Public transportation in the Buffalo Niagara region is utilized by a large number of people of color, working poor and impoverished. The vast majority of them use it as their sole passage to work, worship, groceries, medical appointments, job training and education. For them, public transit is a portal to life. The bus doesn’t just take them home. It gets them to a better tomorrow.

Supported by federal, state and local taxes, the NFTA is a public agency created to serve the public good. Its plan to solve fiscal problems by diluting public transit’s indispensable role is unjust. Its claim that we must endure elimination of bus routes or a fare increase is unnecessary. And its refusal to hold a mirror to itself is unwise.

Cursory review of the NFTA’s 2012 budget suggests that it’s a private investment company disguised as a public transit agency. It’s “property management” department alone carries more than $700,000 in salaries for eight employees.

A more thorough budget review reveals the NFTA’s resemblance to other governments and bureaucracies with which our community is saddled: a top-heavy, management-laden structure that hasn’t been reimagined or retouched since the NFTA was first created by Albany in 1967.

The agency’s “support service” departments include some 115 managers, whose compensation costs taxpayers more than $11.4 million per year. That is, 115 managers with salaries and benefits of approximately $100,000 each. Which means that of the $17.6 million in sales tax revenue the NFTA will receive this year, virtually two-thirds of it will go to pay managers, not deliver services.

We all know that here in New York, the public agencies and authorities that we have are not the agencies and authorities we need. Along with the rest, the NFTA suffers from an age-old system of politicians appointing affluent business people to — on a part-time basis — oversee entities on which average people rely. As evidenced by the poor decisions that caused the architectural triumph of the Buffalo Niagara Airport to be hidden behind a raised parking ramp; the failure to resolve our region’s last vestige of racism — a system that inadequately connects city and suburbs; and the poor planning that produces NFTA financial crises far too often, this governance model is in need of repair.

Can't agree more.