Buffalo's politicians and community leaders should be looking for innovative ideas to keep and to draw people to live, work and play in the city.
Here's one.
UB's newspaper had an article last week about extending NFTA passes to all students for $25 each semester. This system is already in place for other local colleges, including my place of employment but I think it could go much further.
There are an average of 20 working days each month. If I were to take the metro rail, which is quite convenient to our house, a monthly pass would equal about $1.37 per trip based on a monthly pass of $55 . When a one-way ticket costs $1.50, that's not much of a savings. So, I gas up my car for $2.96 or more per gallon, (and later this spring, strap on my helmet for a bike ride), and join the throng of commuters on the road wasting fossil fuels.
My solution would be to offer any business, organization, school or group in the region the chance to sign their employees up for a discounted rate. If they want more riders, that's the way to do it. I think $30-$35 would be my personal price point to commute daily, and I'd be encouraged to use it to go shopping and to zip around town. Heck, (e:strip) could present itself as a community organization, and all (e:peeps) could qualify.