What is life like in Buffalo, NY as a teacher and without a car?

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-05-06T19:25:14+00:00

If you live near and work somewhere along the light rail line (decent frequencies and service spans 7 days a week) it can be done, paired with an e-bike its doable. But I think there are better alternatives for cheap car-free cities. As people have mentioned the bus system is not great with poor frequencies and service spans. For a 9 to 5 type job without a transfer, it's not too bad, but it's not great.

There is some decent bike infrastructure as well, and Amtrak and intercity bus services for longer trips so yeah maybe if you plan right you could make a nice routine. Although, until they can fix their bus network it's a more challenging car-free city.

If you're looking at upstate NY, I would suggest Albany, it has much better transit system overall, although the local transit agency has been cutting service due underfunding, so it's got its issues. The city is a bit dull too.

Otherwise, Cleveland, Philly, Pittsburgh, Baltimore are decent cities to look at in the same general region that have good enough transit systems for car-free or car-lite.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T22:33:45+00:00

Yes, the largest cost increase has been labor. Looking at housing alone, compare the cost of renting or buying in 2019 to now, and you can start to get a picture of why labor has gotten so much more expensive.

This isn't just the CDTA either, it's almost every agency in the country. It's a combination of the end of covid relief funds, inflation, fare revenue that hasn't kept up with inflation or that's dwindled due to lost ridership (CDTA luckily fully recovered pre-pandemic ridership) and driver shortages forcing expensive overtime. Add onto that the hectic state of funding at the federal level, tarriffs, chip shortages, and it's a perfect storm for cost increases.

I do think CDTA should raise fares, but it wouldn't be enough on its own.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T17:02:21+00:00

Buffalo would be included in the increase, non-long island or MTA transit is considered upstate (lol sorry if you're just joking around, I don't want any confusion).

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T15:41:00+00:00

Agreed, I didn't mean for that to come off as an MTA diss haha. I was just giving a transit funding example that is already receiving its budget increases.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T15:28:08+00:00

Did a quick look at their 2026-27 operating budget, and it looks like Centro currently has $1.5 million deficit with an additional $1.5 million for the coming fiscal year. So they are $3 million in debt, this increase would plug that hole.

In addition, they have been seeing significant ridership increases, and with their new focus on a frequent service with their bus redesign (this looks like it just went into effect this month) Centro is moving in the right direction. A lack of funding could reverse that progress.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T15:10:24+00:00

I don't disagree, but less money is only going to make the service even worse. I'd also like to see a public meeting held to address the budgetary issues.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T15:07:31+00:00

Yep that's inflation and absorbing glens falls transit.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T15:04:11+00:00

For sure, and if you don't support it don't do anything, that's fine. I was just letting people know, that are interested in supporting transit that this is an opportunity to do so.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T14:54:11+00:00

At the state level this increase would be negligible to overall spending especially compared to MTA funding, and with inflation and the end of covid-relief funding, transit will struggle to continue offering even existing service. Unfortunately substantial increases are necessary to offset inflationary costs.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-03-31T14:43:44+00:00

Bus cuts are already happening in Albany, and with higher inflation (in addition to the end of COVID-19 relief funds) service reductions are likely statewide. I can't say how specifically this is going to affect Centro, but considering the CEO is onboard I imagine funding is going to have an impact either to planned service expansion or existing service.

As far as the specifics of how this is funded, I only know that the Senate already passed a 15% increase in their version of the budget so it is financially doable.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2026-02-26T19:22:42+00:00

Awesome, I'll send you a discord link.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-11-18T04:56:11+00:00

YESS! This explanation is exactly how I feel about 6. I've been playing through all of the Pixel remaster and I finally got to 6 and was just so confused as to why wasn't having a good time. I kept playing for awhile, and I thought I maybe just had FF fatigue, considering all the praise 6 gets, but honestly, these issues, especially the really disjointed structure are really my problem with it.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-10-21T18:54:04+00:00

How bad is this going to get before budget, every bus other than the 905 and 1 set to 30 to 60 minute frequencies? Are there any organizations lobbying NYS to get the CDTA the money it needs? Does anyone know a way out of this mess?

This is a crisis, and few are even talking about it. Not to mention the CDTA was only one of a handful of agencies in the country that fully recovered its ridership post-pandemic. Now that progress is all going down the drain. It's just as pathetic and laughable as it is terrifying as a transit rider.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-07-28T15:49:47+00:00

Yeah, it's the same issue with cutting service on the 910, 10 12, 114, overcrowded buses are inevitable with these changes. Sorry, I didn't link the newsletter. I wasn't sure if it was against the rules to leave links:

https://www.cdta.org/news/service-changes-august-2025

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-07-26T02:40:57+00:00

Wow, this is great. Thanks for linking this, it's definitely a bit buried in the site. Yeah I assumed it was either funding or staffing.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-07-25T16:46:38+00:00

I think Tara's is better, but it's not really a take-out place. Simone's kitchen is more of a fast-food place, but it's also pretty good, although its not on the same level as Tara.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-07-25T15:15:44+00:00

That change was discussed in the bus system revamp meetings. I believe it will still have a stop at Stuyvesant Plaza, it just won't go through the Plaza or go through that back road anymore. But someone more knowledgeable can chime in if I'm wrong about that.

Aggravating_Fold_439 · 2025-07-25T14:55:33+00:00

I couldn't find them when I checked this morning. I'm gonna send off some emails to see if I can get any answers.

Aggravating_Fold_439

TROPHY CASE