Shuttered Bus Terminals Cause Problems for Riders, Cities

Intercity bus terminals around the country are shutting down, leaving riders to wait on unshaded sidewalks and parking lots, reports Jared Brey in Governing.

As Brey explains, “Greyhound, long the leading name in intercity bus service, is gradually vacating most of its remaining bus terminals around the country.” And in many cases, cities had not prepared an alternate plan for bus passengers. “The switch from terminals to curbside pickup can cause problems for cities.” When Greyhound left its Philadelphia station, “Suddenly, travelers who’d been accustomed to shelter, shade and restrooms found themselves on the sidewalk, waiting sometimes hours in escalating heat for a bus.”

Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University, says the best approach “is for the public sector to establish a central hub for intercity travel that also connects to the local transit system. Even though intercity bus services are operated privately, officials should consider them a complement to and extension of local transit, he says.”