Philadelphia's Intercity Bus Riders Are Getting Shortchanged

"Bus travel has never gotten the same respect as rail," writes Inga Saffron, "[y]et, pre-pandemic, America’s long-haul buses carried twice the number of passengers as Amtrak." Inter-city buses "remain significantly cheaper than Amtrak and serve far-flung towns that have no train service. For low-income people, car-less single parents, college students, recent immigrants, and other budget-conscious folks living in Philadelphia, intercity buses are often the only way to go." But the companies that provide bus service use city sidewalks or parking lots to pick up riders, avoiding the "hefty docking fees" charged by traditional bus terminals. "A proposal for a more dignified bus terminal on the north side of 30th Street Station, first floated in Amtrak’s 2016 master plan, still hasn’t moved past the idea stage" and will take years to build. Because of this, Saffron argues, Philadelphia should take steps to make the sidewalk stops safe and comfortable.

Most sidewalk stops have "no canopy, no benches, no trash cans and, per usual, no restrooms," despite a recent pledge by city planners to place equity at the forefront of infrastructure decisions. Saffron sees this as an equity issue. "Where’s the equity in a bus stop that offers travelers nowhere to escape the elements?"

Although most policymakers don't see bus travel as an important part of a city's economy, writes Saffron, "bus service to New York, Washington, Penn State and beyond are part of what makes Philadelphia such an attractive place to live and do business." According to Deputy Commissioner Richard Montanez, "the best long-term solution would be for Philadelphia to consolidate all its downtown bus lines in one terminal on the parking lot north of 30th Street Station. But to make that project feasible, PennDot needs to realign the I-76 exit ramp leading to the train station," which could take years. 

"The city doesn’t have time to wait," writes Saffron. "Thanks to the demand for life science labs, the area around 30th Street has become the city’s most significant job creator, the engine for its pandemic recovery." Nate Hommel, who oversees planning and design for the University City District (UCD), says the city needs a "comprehensive planning approach to intercity bus transportation" so those who depend on the service don't–literally–get "left out in the cold."