Weekday carry-on crowd likes Route 204 for its downtown run
NFTA Metro Bus Route 204 Airport–Downtown Express runs only on weekdays and skips most of the local stops that slow down Route 24 on Genesee Street. Regulars on r/Buffalo say 204 is the only NFTA bus they’ll use from BUF if the timing lines up, specifically because it makes fewer stops between the airport and downtown.
The 204 uses the same general bus bay area as other NFTA routes at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, near the main terminal arrivals curb where hotel shuttles also pull in. Local riders note that new visitors often wait at the wrong post because airport signs point hard at rideshare and private shuttles, while the 204 and 24 markings are smaller and easy to miss.
Service on 204 is weekday-focused, with trips clustered around commuter windows and a limited span in the evening; Reddit threads call it effectively useless for many late-night or Sunday arrivals. One rider summed it up bluntly: it’s fine if your flight lines up, but the timetable isn’t built around late flights rolling in after dinner.
Route 204 cuts intermediate stops and runs as a limited-stop express between BUF and downtown, which makes it a better fit than Route 24 if you’re carry-on-only and landing in the afternoon peak. Locals say they try to book arrivals into BUF specifically within the 204 operating window, then fall back to Route 24 or a rideshare when their plane touches down outside those hours.
Think of 204 as the middle ground: slower but cheaper than an Uber, faster and less meandering than Route 24, especially on the Genesee Street stretch into Buffalo. Riders talking about the line compare the feel of the trip to a commuter express, not a neighborhood bus, thanks to the limited-stop pattern and downtown focus.
One tip: before you even buy a ticket to BUF, pull up the NFTA Route 204 weekday timetable, then match your planned arrival to a specific departure and note which column is “Airport”; that five-minute check beats standing at the wrong bay watching your express roll past.