Influential Old City group opposes possible Greyhound station, for now

Leaders of the Old City District oppose the Parker administration’s proposal to build a Greyhound station in a South Second Street parking garage, citing “serious concerns” that it would damage the character of the crowded historic neighborhood.

Board members detailed their concerns in an Aug. 2 letter to the National Park Service, which owns the AutoPark garage that city transportation officials identified as a possible temporary terminal for Philadelphia’s rootless intercity buses.

That use conflicts with Vision2026, the district’s guiding strategy to be a “world-class walking destination” as the city prepares for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the business leaders wrote.

“It is clear that transit buses reduce car traffic; with intercity buses, the opposite is true,” the letter said. “A significant percentage of intercity bus passengers are dropped off or arrive in cars. The addition of hundreds of cars to Old City’s streets each day is an undesirable outcome.”

The board unanimously decided on July 17 to oppose the idea, a vote that has not previously been publicly reported. City officials and the Philadelphia Parking Authority, which operates the garage, were copied on the letter.

The relocation of intercity bus operations has kindled controversy since June 2023 when Greyhound closed its leased station on Filbert Street and stuck the city with a dilemma. Since then, Greyhound, Flixbus, and Peter Pan Bus Lines have picked up and dropped off passengers outdoors, with no shelter and few amenities.

First, the “station” was on the 600 block of Market Street, where it caused traffic havoc. Then, last November, bus arrivals and departures were moved to Spring Garden Street and Delaware Avenue. Rideshare and private vehicles have congested that area, too.

The site in Old City centers on 14 bus bays on the first floor of the AutoPark garage and a large indoor waiting room, intended as a station for private tour buses, with an entrance on South Second Street and exit on Front Street.

Old City District’s board based its decision on the little information available at the time. “We’re not entirely closing the door,” executive director Job Itzkowitz said. The organization has asked the city to meet with its membership, and “our invitation is still open” for discussions, he said.

As a business-oriented special services authority, the Old City District has no formal role in land-use decisions.

But the National Park Service, which operates the Independence historical sites, must approve any new use for its property. Service officials said they need traffic and impact studies.

The city Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems and city planning department have said they planned to conduct studies of feasibility of the garage as a short-term intercity bus station; it is not clear whether that work is underway.

City officials have said little about the Old City bus station option, and there is no formal proposal to evaluate. It has become a communications nightmare for the administration after word of the possibility got out in April and opposition from local businesses and residents grew.

In July, city planning officials were set to hear concerns during a community meeting at Amigos Preschool, but they walked away because journalists were there.