When the sun disappears on April 8, expect your Metro Bus to come to a stop

At 3:18 p.m. April 8, the skies will go dark and Buffalo will come to a stop.

So will public transportation across Western New York.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said it will tell its drivers to stop their buses during the period that Western New York is in the path of totality during the solar eclipse.

Metro Bus passengers should expect buses to pull over to a safe spot, if traffic permits, said Sadie Kratt, the transportation planner for the NFTA. Operators and riders will be encouraged to get off the bus, use special safety glasses and experience the eclipse. Following the few minutes of totality, buses will be back on the road.  

“Obviously there’s a lot of unknowns with that … whether or not they [operators] stick to it is sort of dependent on traffic,” Kratt said.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pour into Western New York for the once-in-a-lifetime event. Officials have begun warning people that gridlock on area roads is expected as people try to get to some of the most sought-after spots to witness the event.

“We are expecting delays just because of the amount of traffic, so you can pretty much bank on your bus being late that day. So we’re trying to encourage riders, if you don’t have to go anywhere that day, try not to, but if you are, plan accordingly,” Kratt said.

The NFTA oversees the Metro Bus and Rail, Buffalo Niagara International Airport and transit police departments in the Buffalo Niagara region.

On a regular weekday, the NFTA has up 60,000 riders on Metro Rail and Metro Buses, Kratt said.

The agency has procured 16,000 eclipse glasses with the help of the Buffalo Museum of Science for staff members, including operators and mechanics. Riders who use buses on April 8, will be able to get glasses on the bus so that they can safely look at the eclipse, Kratt added. 

Riders also will receive email alerts about the bus schedule – whether it’s slightly delayed or canceled – if…