Public transportation and Buffalo Niagara Airport (BUF) - Easier then you think!

[GangStarr]

Hello All,

I figured I would post this thread to advise of some tips on catching a flight out of BUF Buffalo Niagara International Airport using public transportation from the center of the universe, Toronto. It's easier and more time efficient then one might think, particularly when traveling solo.

1. How do I get to Buffalo ?

There are 2 buses with service to Buffalo downtown bus terminal.

A. Greyhound.ca
B. CoachCanada.ca
>edit greyhound NEON and Megabus.com now do direct trips to BUF airport

I took Coach Canada and they are SLIGHTLY more expensive. ($1 I think). The service is enroute to NYC but only stops in Niagara falls and at this gas station in Fort Erie right next to the border. It has no other stops and both Greyhound and CoachCanada START their service in Toronto, so no waiting for an inbound bus.

For the ladies there is a 10 minute washroom break in Niagara that has flush toilets.

2. What is the border like by bus?

When you board your bus it is wise to ask the driver discreetly if there are any non US / Canadian citizens. The driver asks for some ID before you get on the bus and ensure thats any foreigners have the proper documents.

When you arrive ALL your luggage will be offloaded and in my circumstance a dog came around and sniffed all luggage that was stored under the bus.

Once off the bus you go in through this small door (there are flush toilets)
I crossed with my Drivers License and citizenship and did so hassle free. Took me about 3 minutes of questioning but I had proof of return. Do yourself a favor and have proof of return. They let other people in without it but they do bug you a little bit (the customs officer at the end said "okay so I have to bug you about it but go ahead your clear".

Once you are cleared initially they send you to the next room where they decide if they are screening you.

After that you exit some doors and wait for the rest of the bus to clear.

3. What if someone gets held back or a decision whether to admit the person has not been made?

In our case we had a woman from Taiwan with 9 pieces of luggage and was being interrogated by US customs. After 45 minutes of people waiting for the bus to move, the driver went in and asked if they made a decision. They told us they would within a few minutes and unfortunately did not admit her.

Our bus was on its way, slightly delayed but on our way.

TIP! Sit at the front of the bus, this way YOU are the first one cleared US customs, and if someone is being held back, you can order a taxi to the border. According to our bus driver it can be done and the bonus is that the bus terminal is about 1 or 2km from the border. Or if you are pressed for time you can cab it directly to the airport (I imagine this will cost you around $30 or $40 this is just a guess)

4. Okay so I am in the BEAUTIFUL city of Buffalo, how do I get to the airport?

Now that you are in Buffalo you have 2 options for the bus out to the airport. 204 express service and the
24 local service.

DO NOT TAKE THE 24 DURING THE WEEK. THE 204 is less frequent but makes a few stops downtown and its on the highway to the airport. The bus driver advised us that the 24 is a better option on the weekend when 204 service is limited.

the 204 is a small bus that starts at the bus terminal, it is handicap accessible and there is room for your luggage. Since it appears that this bus terminal is the hub of their transit system, service should be pretty reliable.

5. How much does this bus cost? Where is the bus stop ?

First things first, its $1.75 US dollars to get to the airport. You need a token or exact change. There is a small office that makes change for you or an automated machine that sells tokens. The bus accepts $1 bills but does not give change so don't stick a $5 in there.

Opposite the small office you will find the main exit but DO NOT CROSS THE STREET, if you are looking for 204 express service. Consult the schedule at the below link, or there are pamphlets you can take away with you. There is a small heated seating area that has a view of the bus stop, so you can wait inside for the bus.

204 Airport Express PDF


If its the weekend, according to the bus driver the 24 service is better. To catch this bus cross the street and you will see a bus stop on the corner.

24 Local Service PDF

6. Other tips

-Avoid checked luggage, this saves so much time. Stop packing the kitchen sink and get it all into your carry on.

-Check in Online, I flew continental and 24 hours prior to departure I chose my seat and printed a boarding pass. When I got to the airport, went right to security, then to the waiting area for the plane. Minimal human contact

-Sign up to any frequent flyer programs that are applicable and select the "contact me if my flight is delayed or canceled". Buffalo gets some bad weather and delays and even cancellations do occur. I doubt they are giving you anything free if a flights canceled due to weather. Either here in buffalo or at your destination airport.

-I flew continentals lowest class of flight (500 reward miles) 12 of the shortest round trips they fly gets you a free flight in the states.

-Apparently around continentals "presidental club" you can catch a leaking unencrypted WIFI signal, thats what the person on the flight next to me told me.

-www.seatguru.com got me some sweet exit row seats with PLENTY of room on my 1 hour flight

-www.sleepinginairports.net <-- might not hurt to take a look at especially if you are connecting at other hubs.

-You are not allowed to bring meat or cheese with you across the border.

-make sure you check tsa.org if your brining your bathroom essentials in your carry on. I brought in a huge stick of gel deodorant way above whatever their limit is and they dont care. They insist on using their "zipper top" zip loc bags, which they provide for free. Any prescription liquids or gels of any size are no problem as long as they have the pharmacy sticker on them with your name.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the write up.

[gr8dlr]

Thanks for the post.....curious how much was the bus fare was and how long it took from TO to Buffalo airport from start to finish including wait and clearing time at the border.

[CSR]

Awesome post!

What happen to the Taiwanese ladie when she got stopped at the border? Did she have to take the cab home?

[GangStarr]

Thanks for the post.....curious how much was the bus fare was and how long it took from TO to Buffalo airport from start to finish including wait and clearing time at the border.

$35.55 if your over 26, $21.50 if you are under 26 w/ student card. Thats what greyhound is saying. However according to their website if you purchase a non refundable ticket it is only $23.

Caught the 10:15 bus run by coach canada. Was in buffalo terminal at 1:45. Caught the 2:25 bus and was there at the airport by 3. My flight was at 5. Flights are usually delayed due to late inbound aircrafts. Make sure you check your carriers website. In my case the same flight the day before mine was canceled due to bad weather in New York. They were allowing people +/- 2 days to rebook free of charge.

The bus driver should have information about the next 204 bus. They deal with a lot of Canadians flying out of BUF.

Awesome post!

What happen to the Taiwanese ladie when she got stopped at the border? Did she have to take the cab home?

No idea. Probably cabbed it back to Fort Erie or Niagara Falls to catch the next bus to Toronto. That or she cabbed it back to Toronto which I think is about $180 or $200.

Its unfortunate but what can you do? Visa's don't guarantee admission. The bus driver mentioned she had all her documents in order.

I figured I would post this, my suggestion would be to always try and find flights around 3 or 5 and catch the 8 am bus or 10 am bus depending on how much of a worried beaver you are. While this is a busy time in Buffalo airport it took me about 10 minutes total to clear security. Traffic leaving the city is non existent at that time, bus was going 120 km/h minimum the whole time.


Also worth mentioning, don't be fooled by the restaurant at the airport that proclaims to have "buffalo's best wings" they're crap and expensive (but thats given for airport food).

Buffalo airport also has some nice small cubicles/workspace that anyone can use. Has a decent amount of work space and an AC outlet. Airport is covered in wifi, though it is not free.

TIP! Before you finalize your flight, always check how much a multi-head ticket costs. One where you fly right home to Toronto. For me it was $40 more expensive to fly home rather then fly back to Buffalo. Well worth it in my opinion

[huangpu]

awesome post, thanks OP!

[GangStarr]

awesome post, thanks OP!

awesome first post, thanks for the thanks!

[raptorsfever]

Great post! Thanks.

[almostfreeman]

good post

[molala]

awesome post...
but honestly...i personally rather pay extra to fly from toronto, i don't think i want to deal with the hassle of bus again after a trip...but good post!

[GangStarr]

awesome post...
but honestly...i personally rather pay extra to fly from toronto, i don't think i want to deal with the hassle of bus again after a trip...but good post!

Really depends how much your time is worth (I know a lot of people here are in school and have more time to try and save money). It was $480 to fly round trip to NYC from YYZ and I paid $236 to fly Buffalo -> Newark, Newark-Toronto (was 196 for round trip buffalo). Had to waste an extra few hours getting to the airport but to me the almost $240 in savings was worth it, especially that I flew directly home.

Mind you I flew home 2 days before xmas, which is an expensive time to fly. The route out to NYC can be as low as $75 with tax.

The bus was $200, so for an extra $60 I got to fly in a bird. I've taken the train which takes way too long and is always delayed but has a/c outlets. The bus, well its a bus so no a/c outlets and an uncomfortable ride. That and as far as I know there are no loyalty programs with AMtrak or Greyhound, at least I am >< closer to a free flight.

Also since I was visiting NJ rather than NYC flying into Newark was much better then arriving at Port Authority or Penn Station as I had someone pick me up.

I would be careful if you guys have connecting flights out of hubs. Since I don't equate flying with on time performance, I would try to NOT rely on the last flight as a connection otherwise its sleepinginairports.net time

[jb831]

Wow, Gangstarr! Thanks so much for taking the time to write such valuable information up for us!

I frequently fly out of BUF (pretty much for all US flights), but my friends and I don't have vehicles, so we always end up renting one. Flying out of BUF is considerably cheaper than YYZ,.. even with the cost of renting a car and gas expenses. However, I often find renting a vehicle for a one-week trip to be a complete waste.. since the car just sits in a parking lot for the majority of the time.

I'm definitely going to try taking the bus next time -- thanks for all the tips!

[parry]

Good one. How bout www.niagaraairbus.com? It goes from Toronto Airport straight to Buffalo airport..

[GangStarr]

Good one. How bout www.niagaraairbus.com? It goes from Toronto Airport straight to Buffalo airport..

Certainly an option, but Its about $25 going by bus and $120 by that airbus. May as well take the bus to the border then cab it to the airport. It would still be cheaper.

[3weddings]

Very informative post.

I heard that effective this year, if even one person is rejected at the border, the entire bus is turned back....anyone hear of this? Seems ludicrous to me!!!

[almostfreeman]

Very informative post.

I heard that effective this year, if even one person is rejected at the border, the entire bus is turned back....anyone hear of this? Seems ludicrous to me!!!

Possibly the gov is putting more of an onus on transport companies to ensure passengers board with proper ID but it would be impossible for these companies to know if someone wouldn't be admitted to the US for any reason.