| Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center | |
|---|---|
Artist's rendering |
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| Station statistics | |
| Address | 181 Ellicott St. Buffalo, NY |
| Structure | Low rise bus terminal with an eight storey office tower Architects:Cannon Design |
| Other information | |
| Opened | 1977 |
| Owned by | NFTA |
The Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center is located on the southeast corner of North Division and Ellicott Streets in Downtown Buffalo, New York. The transportation center is open 24 hours daily.
Managed by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which also uses the transit center as its headquarters, it operates as a major transportation hub for a number of NFTA Metro bus routes, as well as inter-city bus services. Its location is also of importance in that this terminal sits as normally the first stop on the busy Toronto-New York City bus corridor in the United States.
Built in 1977, the architectural firm of Cannon Design, Inc. created a terminal that is a "pleasant and even exciting space to experience, with views of travelers, buses and the city beyond afforded by comparatively large areas of glazing".[1] It replaced an older Greyhound Station, located at 672 Main Street, near Tupper. After the Main Street station had closed, it became a police station for the Theater District of Downtown Buffalo, and is currently used partially as the Alleyway Theatre[2]
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Aside from the transportation center being the main offices for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and the Buffalo area base office for Greyhound Lines, Inc., there are a number of service based businesses for passengers and employees of the terminal.
In the past, Hardee's and Burger King had an outlet in the terminal that was later turned into a "Travelers Cafe", both operated by Greyhound Lines. The space for the restaurant has since been converted into an indoor waiting area for passengers waiting for local bus service at the corner of North Division and Ellicott. Announcements are not made of arriving local service in the waiting area, so passengers watch for arriving buses through floor-to-ceiling picture windows along that wall.
Additionally, a gift shop existed for a number of years, but has been vacated and renovated into a larger office area for the NFTA Transit Police sub-station.
Sources: Russell's Motor Coach Guide (various editions), NeOn website
Board on Ellicott Street at North Division Street
Board on North Division Street at Ellicott Street
Nearly all buses operating into Downtown Buffalo come within a short walk (maximum of three city blocks) of the transportation center.
In the later part of 1999, proposals were made for an updating of the terminal, including a new shopping area, restaurant, and updated passenger waiting area for NFTA Metro passengers, as well as intercity bus passengers.
The Buffalo News continued stories on this, as well as progress made on the creation of an intermodal transportation facility on the site of the Buffalo War Memorial Auditorium, effectively linking Amtrak Trains with intercity buses, and local buses "under one roof" in a style similar to the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center partway across the state in Syracuse, New York.