Note: Originally published in Canisius College's student Newspaper The Griffin. The original website is no longer available. 

A new, more sustainable method of transportation has arrived in Buffalo to make traveling around the Niagara region easier, greener and cheaper.

FlixBus will connect people to and from Buffalo, New York City, Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, and Niagara Falls, NY. As of their launch in Buffalo on Feb. 13, there is only one bus route each way. This spring, they are looking to add more buses to the routes.

“We believe there’s a lot of opportunity and demand to provide service between New York and Buffalo, or the Niagara region, based on research by our Network Planning Team,” Head of Business Development Joanna Patterson said.

FlixBus was originally launched in Germany in 2013 and moved to the US in 2018. They are currently in 143 cities across the US, which is a constantly changing number by how fast they’re expanding. Globally, they’re in 30 countries. This month, they are expanding to Harrisburg, PA and Morocco.

“We certainly have plans to continue to grow quite rapidly, and that includes both adding more cities and adding more frequent bus service to the cities we’re serving.”

In Buffalo, they run out of the Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center, located at 181 Ellicott Street.

Their buses are standard motor coach buses, and they all come with free WiFi and power outlets at every seat. A ticket also included access to complimentary on-board entertainment app with movies, audio books, and games.

While they’ve done some trials with electric buses, they have not been able to make the transition to electric buses in the US yet.

“We’re really excited about electric buses in the future. The challenge right now are some constraints with things like the ranges they can go,” Patterson said.

To counter the carbon footprint of this type of travel, customers have the option to add a “CO2 Compensation” to their trip, thereby making a voluntary environmental contribution when completing a booking. These compensations are donated to the National Forest Foundation, as well as the Global Climate Protection Project from abroad

“We feel very strongly about growing the bus market as a way of reducing the environmental impact of the transportation industry,” Patterson explained. “I do think that we can get more people out of their cars, mostly in the US, and onto buses, and that’s going to have a positive environmental impact.”

This new option for travel can be a great opportunity for Canisius students thinking about making it home on weekends or for breaks. And, on the flip side, families have an option to use FlixBus to visit Canisius and Buffalo in a more sustainable way. Fares can be as low as $4.99, offering an affordable option for college students.