CNN in New York and Chicago —
America’s third-largest city, Chicago, is in danger of losing its only intercity bus terminal, jeopardizing access for many low-income, elderly, and minority travelers who have few other means of transportation. has been done. It’s part of a national trend.
Greyhound’s lease on its Chicago terminal expires next month. Not only does this mean Greyhound could leave the city, but Flixbus, Barron’s, Burlington Trailways and other lines that also operate from the terminal would be forced to leave as well. There is a possibility. A Greyhound representative told CNN there is no proposal for a lease extension. The city, which regulates curbside pick-up and drop-off locations, told CNN it is looking for alternatives to the facility. Both Greyhound and city leaders say they are committed to finding a solution.
“Intercity bus service is very important to many people,” said Chicago City Councilman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, who was instrumental in preserving the station.
If the terminal closes, Chicago will become the only largest city in the Northern Hemisphere without an intercity bus terminal, according to DePaul University professor Joseph Schwieterman and researchers at the school’s Chaddick Institute for Urban Development.
The Chaddick Institute estimates that the terminal serves more than 500,000 passengers annually. The company says its intercity buses are used by a wide range of people, but 73% of Greyhound riders in Chicago make less than $50,000 a year and more than half are black. About three-quarters are minority riders.
Allen James Henry Jr. arrived in Chicago last week by bus from Sikeston, Missouri, a small town about 240 miles south of St. Louis. The Chicago terminal gave him a place to wait during his five-hour layover until the next bus to Iowa. Then I headed to Denver. For him, the station is more than just a place to rest, it’s a matter of dignity.
The prospect of having to wait on the road for a long layover “is treating people in their cars like they don’t matter,” he said.
“This bus stop has to be here,” Henry Jr. said.
Greyhound and other lines serving Chicago are part of a series of routes that allow passengers to travel between thousands of stops with a single bus ticket.
Researchers at DePaul’s Chaddick Institute say the closure threatens to disrupt a comprehensive system of connected bus routes, resulting in reduced service on Chicago routes that require transfers. states.
Curbside service also cannot replace dedicated terminals for buses to and from Chicago. Curbside carriers like Megabus typically operate only between major cities and typically do not offer routes with transportation.
Without an indoor terminal, travelers wouldn’t be able to use the restroom, avoid Chicago’s notorious winter weather, or get something to eat while waiting. People making connections late at night or early in the morning, sometimes with long layovers, don’t have a safe place to wait.
Buses are often the only way to get to small towns without a train station or airport.
Max Kay takes a bus from Chicago to Davenport, Iowa, to visit his girlfriend. Flying to the closest airport to Davenport (in Moline, Illinois, across the Mississippi River) costs two to four times more than a bus ticket. And even if you land, you still have to cross the river to Davenport.
“I think I would have to take the bus (even if the bus stop is closed), but I would rather take this,” Kay said. “There’s a place to sit here, and there’s a vending machine.”
Chicago transportation, environmental, reproductive health, disability and other advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about the city’s risk of losing the terminal.
“If we do not find a workable solution for the intercity bus terminal, it will directly harm the thousands of people who travel to and from Chicago every day and disproportionately disadvantage the most vulnerable members of our communities. ” the advocacy group wrote in the paper. Last week’s open letter.
A shutdown in Chicago would further accelerate the crisis in U.S. intercity bus service.
Intercity buses carry an estimated 60 million people a year, twice the annual ridership of Amtrak. But in recent decades, companies have cut service and closed terminals. Cities lost nearly a third of their intercity bus service between 1960 and 1980, and more than half of their remaining service between 1980 and 2006, according to a study by the Chaddick Institute. .
Bus stops in Houston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Tampa, Louisville, Charlottesville, Portland, Oregon and other downtown areas have closed in recent years. Greyhound and other airlines are moving stops far from city centers that are often inaccessible by public transportation, switching to curbside service, or eliminating routes altogether.
In Philadelphia, the closure of the Greyhound terminal and switch to curbside service became a “disgrace to the city,” with people waiting for hours with suitcases and sitting on sidewalks, and intercity buses shutting down in Philadelphia’s bus-only lanes. The vehicle was idling, causing a traffic jam. Street, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, explained:
The threat of closure has reached a stress point in the city of Chicago because Greyhound, the nation’s largest intercity airline, does not own its own terminals in the city or dozens of others.
Greyhound, owned by German company Flix Mobility (which also owns FlixBus), has sold its terminals to investors for high-profit redevelopment in recent years, including dozens to investment firm Alden Global Capital. Includes the stand.
Alden is best known for purchasing local newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, and Baltimore Sun, cutting jobs, and selling off some downtown buildings. Last year, Alden subsidiary Twenty Lake Holdings purchased 33 Greyhound stations for $140 million.
“Intercity bus service, including Greyhound, is essential to Chicago’s communities, and our top priority is to ensure uninterrupted service,” a Flix spokesperson said. “The Mayor’s Office worked with us to identify suitable downtown locations for pickup and drop-off, and we are encouraged by their efforts.”
Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson said in a statement to CNN that the city is considering various options for intercity bus service and ridership. “It should be noted that Greyhound has the option to renew its lease at its current location on Harrison Street under the same terms and conditions under which it currently operates,” he said. (Greyhound told CNN that Alden has not responded to such offers. Twenty Lake Holdings did not respond to CNN’s request for comment for this article.)
Some transit advocates and political leaders argue that intercity buses should be treated like public utilities. They want the state and federal governments to step in and play a bigger role in supporting the bus network.
Advocates say local, state and federal agencies are underinvesting in intercity bus travel, relying on private companies to provide essential public services primarily to low-income passengers. Some cities are hostile to intercity buses and are blocking efforts to relocate terminals.
Researchers at DePaul’s Chaddick Institute wrote in a May report that “the station crisis is partially due to the low priority state governments give to intercity bus travel.” said.
In Chicago, advocates are pushing for a public bus terminal with connections to local transit and Amtrak. For example, Milwaukee and Boston have municipal intercity bus terminals next to their train stations.
One promising model is in Atlanta, where Greyhound opened a new 14,000-square-foot private terminal this year with financial support from the state and federal governments. This station is also served by other intercity bus companies and is close to public transportation.
Chicago City Councilman Ramirez Rosa said the ultimate goal should be a public intercity bus terminal.
In European cities, I visited intercity bus terminals that looked like “first world airports.”
“The United States has a lot of catching up to do,” Ramirez-Rosa said.
