Of note, many of the bus loops have been in continuous operation since the days of the International Railway Company, a predecessor to the NFTA.

Service to less populated areas during prime ridership hours extend to Alden, Amherst, Boston, Cheektowaga, Grand Island, Hamburg, Lancaster, Elma, Evans, Orchard Park, Tonawanda (Township), East Aurora and West Seneca in Erie County; Cambria, Lewiston, Niagara, Pendleton and Wheatfield in Niagara County.

These buses operated for a number of years and were a deal to the NFTA in that the coach bodies previously did not experience earlier damage from road salt, sometimes referred to as "salt-free" miles, extending their usefulness a number of years because of the frames having a later start being introduced to corrosion from road salt.

The light rail fleet operates from the DL&W terminal on South Park Avenue behind KeyBank Center in the Cobblestone District.

Many of the routes in the City of Buffalo operate along nearly the same alignment of the previous International Railway Company's streetcar lines.

When boarding a bus or light rail car, the rider should note the following: The NFTA's original "Hublink" concept,[10] now renamed "MetroLink," created a network of routes (numbered in the 200 and 300 series range) linking multiple transit centers together, using cutaway vans.

A minimum service standard was created, where buses were to operate on a frequent schedule through the day, moving passengers across the region.

[13] Four days later, on September 30, patrons of the system came back crying 'foul,' demanding retaining the present service levels and fares.

The board approved the plan to make the changes in late March, to take effect on April 29 (bus and rail modifications) and May 1 for fare increases.

In the January 24, 2013 edition of The Buffalo News, the NFTA was reported to be in the planning stages of adding what is essentially bus rapid transit to its route 5 Niagara-Kenmore corridor.

[20] Some of the plans are said to include signal prioritization, modern electronic signage showing the time for the next due bus, creating a new transit center in Riverside that would connect a number of routes into one location, including a park-and-ride lot at the transit center and new natural-gas powered buses that would be used on the line.

The success of this project would eventually open the doors to other key corridors being switched to bus rapid transit over time.

The BMTC also houses at one of its gates, the starting point of routes 40 Grand Island and 60 Niagara Falls buses, operated by the NFTA.

Rail ticket vending machines at one time were able to accept credit cards for fare payment, however, this practice was discontinued.

[26] Previously, transfers were allowed between immediately connecting lines for a lesser charge than full-fare (with the exception being between bus and rail and vice versa).

Under the program, students are offered semester passes that allow the user unrestricted travel on any Metro regularly scheduled service.

The Citizens Regional Transit Corporation (CRTC) has continuously lobbied local and state politicians to provide funding or support for extensions to the one-line system.

A proposed Airport Corridor line follows the Division Street area, cutting through to the old New York Central Terminal around Jefferson Avenue, following old track bed through the CSX line between Walden and Broadway to Thruway Plaza, Walden Galleria Mall and Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.

The extension to North Campus is currently undergoing a study by the local government, having secured funding in recent years.

[27] In addition, local officials are considering redeveloping the NFTA Rail Maintenance Yard into a multi-modal transportation center.

[28] Two rail cars (fleet numbers 114 and 123) were shipped to Dansville, NY in February 2010, where AnsaldoBreda Inc., a unit of AnsaldoBreda S.p.A. of Italy, has been making wholesale improvements to the cars, each receiving a top-to-bottom $1.5 million transformation and were returned to full revenue service on March 9, 2012, nearly two years behind schedule.

In the nearly ten years since, 24 more cars (fleet numbers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126 and 127) were all refurbished and have since returned to full service as of February 1, 2022.

Among the items being refurbished, passengers will experience new seating, stanchions, electronic signage and new audio systems, similar to the train service at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Operation-wise, the shells of the car will be placed on refurbished trucks, with new wheels, gear boxes, overhauled traction motors, new pantographs, brakes and air compression systems.

[29] The current color scheme (navy, light-gray and gray) first appeared on the 2000 series (Nova Bus LFS) coaches in early 2000.

According to a past Buffalo News article, the colors and logo were chosen to link the area's "water" image with the company.

[30] With the arrival of the 6000 series GMC RTS-04 buses in 1984, the NFTA's Metro system operated its vehicles using a color scheme of yellow, orange and brown, referred to as "earth tone" or "candy corn."

The International Railway Company, the predecessor to the Niagara Frontier Transportation System used either an orange and cream[31] or forest green and vermilion scheme for their vehicles.

The NFTA used a circular logo during the 1970s for the parent corporation, showing a nested combination of a bus, airplane and ship.

Many loops serving as layover facilities for NFTA bus routes are properties that were originally created for the International Railway's streetcars to turn around in.