Philly’s chaotic Greyhound bus station may move to its third temporary location in less than a year
Greyhound and other intercity carriers caused the crisis by closing the Filbert Street bus station to lower overhead.
City officials are considering a third move in less than a year for Philadelphia’s intercity bus station — across the street to an underused surface parking lot.
A new temporary terminal to consolidate operations for Greyhound and other carriers could be erected on the privately owned lot next to a Lukoil gas station on Spring Garden Street. It might feature a modular building with restrooms and space for passengers to wait indoors, according to an early conceptual proposal from the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS).
Ideas and sketches for a potential move were presented last week to the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, which posted the news on its website last Thursday.
No decisions have been made, OTIS said in a statement. “The meeting slides were not intended for public distribution until feedback was collected from all parties and plans were reworked and finalized.”
Since last November, the long-distance buses have docked at the curb near Spring Garden and North Front Streets, with some queuing up on Christopher Columbus Boulevard and others near the Market-Frankford Line’s Spring Garden Station. Passengers wait on sidewalks, unsheltered from weather.
“Within a week we realized it was a complete disaster,” said Jeff Hornstein, president of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association. “Nobody thought through how it would work in the real world.”
Intercity buses and cars dropping off departing passengers have crowded out SEPTA buses and blocked bike lanes, neighbors said. The location has also caused headaches for business owners at a small shopping plaza nearby.
The city’s goal is still to find something long term with amenities that would improve the passenger experience and accommodate the carriers, officials say. That could involve a few sites where there is demand rather than one central depot.
Indeed, there has long been intercity bus service loading curbside in Chinatown and near 30th Street Station.
Hornstein estimated that about 60% of passengers travel to the al fresco station by Uber, adding to congestion; the Market-Frankford Line’s Spring Garden Station is about two blocks away.
OTIS has made changes to the current site to address local concerns, in conjunction with the bus companies and the neighborhood association. Steps include toilet facilities in trailers near the boarding area, a police presence, security guards, and clearer signage.
“To their credit, they’ve done almost everything we asked,” Hornstein said. He said he suggested the lot to OTIS officials, as a place to consolidate a sprawling operation. Hornstein said he and other neighborhood leaders have been discussing the concept with city officials, the land’s owner and the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
In the concept shared with neighbors, the lot’s pavement would be marked with oversized slips for Greyhound, Flixbus, Megabus and Peter Pan to pick up and discharge passengers. There would be two ticket offices, and the PPA would manage the site.
Some neighbors remain wary, Hornstein said, but the goal is “to make as nontoxic a lemonade as possible from the lemons that have been tossed our way. … It’s better than what we have now.”
A PPA spokesperson referred questions to the city.
The parking authority has expanded its role beyond ticketing and towing illegally parked cars in recent years. It runs a speed-camera enforcement program on Roosevelt Boulevard, patrols bike lanes to ticket cars blocking them, and tows abandoned vehicles.
Rich Lazer, executive director of PPA, has said he wants the agency to contribute to the fight against quality-of-life issues.
If the latest concept is approved, the parking lot would be the third temporary intercity bus station within a year. The bus carriers have city permits to operate in the current location through the end of this month.
An earlier spot at Market and Seventh Streets became untenable. Operations caused SEPTA to skip stops on three bus routes, angered nearby businesses, and became an embarrassment for the city.
The city had to scramble to find a replacement when Greyhound abruptly closed its longtime, leased Filbert Street station in June 2023, a cost-cutting move that has grown common in the industry.