Buffalo’s bus program spared from funding cuts
BUFFALO (WNE) — While many public transportation programs throughout the state are expecting a drop in state and federal funding for fiscal year 2027, the Buffalo Area Transportation System program is expecting more federal dollars – though less than it requested.
This is good news for the BATS program, as cuts have touched most elsewhere in the state, with the Wyoming Department of Transportation having 28%, or $3.34 million, fewer funds to distribute in the upcoming fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo transportation program was awarded about $197,000, and although that was about $70,000 less than requested, it was about $47,000 more than it received in fiscal 2026, according to Trey Schroefel, Buffalo Senior Center’s interim executive director.
Federal funding accounted for about 46% of its fiscal 2026 budget and will likely account for an even greater percentage in its draft fiscal 2027 budget, he said.
“A lot of senior centers did see a drop in federal funding, but we actually got more federally than we did last year,” Schroefel said.
Schroefel said that the decrease in available federal funding was due to a lot of the additional COVIDera funds having been used up.
The program has high user rates in the community. In fiscal 2025, BATS provided 34,000 rides, historically providing between 10% and 15% more rides every year. The program is on track to continue that growth trend in fiscal 2026.
To use the service, people schedule rides in advance with BATS, with each in-town ride costing $1.
There are also weekly scheduled group trips to Sheridan and Gillette.
Schroefel said that the program’s continued growth is largely thanks to word getting out about it, including that it’s available to the entire community – not just to seniors.
This story was published on June 18, 2026.
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