Chicago approves city buyout of downtown Greyhound station

The Chicago city council approved an agreement for the city to buy the downtown bus terminal for $19.2 million to preserve the station as the city's only intercity bus depot.

As Melody Mercado explains in Block Club Chicago, "The move comes as officials also expanded the boundaries of the Canal/Congress Tax Increment Financing district to include the terminal, which would provide public funding to support the purchase and future improvements to the station."

Per Mercado,

"The Greyhound station has served intercity bus riders since the late 1980s and now handles about 500,000 passengers a year, including older adults, low-income riders, people with disabilities and others who can’t or don’t drive. If it closed, Chicago would become the largest city in the northern hemisphere without an intercity bus terminal, according to a DePaul University policy brief."

The city signed a transition agreement with current Greyhound owner Flix in which Flix will continue to operate and manage the station for up to a year after the deal closes. "Under the agreement, Flix will be responsible for several operating costs, including utilities, insurance, janitorial work, trash removal, snow removal, security and nonstructural repairs. The city will be responsible for large capital improvements like structural work and foundation repairs."