Sadly, when it comes to getting Chicago decision-makers to save the local Greyhound terminal, 630 W. Harrison St., before it closes this month, it's looking increasingly unlikely that we can wake them up before September ends.
That means Chicago seems doomed to become the largest metropolis in the Northern Hemisphere without an intercity bus station. That would be a depressing milestone for what Mayor Brandon Johnson often calls "The greatest frickin' city in the world."
Let's take a look back at what's happened with this issue over the past week, in hopes of finding a light at the end of the bus tunnel.
The Friday, September 13 Intercity Bus E-News Bulletin, edited by Chaddick Institute Director Joe Schwieterman, reported that Greyhound has made major schedule changes to put more runs through Gary, IN, hometown of The Jackson 5. The bulletin says it's a proactive move to meet the needs of riders if and when the Chicago station closes.
"Unless the lease at that terminal is extended (it expires in October), the terminal’s four bus lines must vacate soon, possibly around September 20 [tomorrow], to comply with the lease terms," the newsletter explained. "Although reservation platforms still show schedules involving transfers at the Chicago Terminal, the schedule changes would enable bus lines to provide many customers with new itineraries with transfers in Gary if the terminal is lost and Chicago’s service shifts to a curbside stop." The Windy City curbside stop in question is the existing CTA bus-only lane on Jackson Boulevard, across from Chicago Union Station, which serves Amtrak and Metra commuter rail trains.
"The Gary Bus Station is inside [Gary's] Adam Benjamin Metro Center transit hub, with a small climate-controlled waiting room and a dedicated Greyhound ticket counter," the bulletin explains. The Metro Center is also served by South Shore Line commuter rail service between Chicago's Millennium Park and South Bend, IN.
"Even a few years ago, the prospect of Chicago losing its role as a connecting hub to Gary would have seemed, at best, improbable," the newsletter laments. "Now, that prospect appears likely." The message Chicago leaders should heed before letting our terminal shut down is, "Stop, the station you save may be your own." Read more details about these Hoosier happenings in the bulletin.
Cancelled hearing, advocates urge mayor, CDOT chief to get on the bus
Perplexingly, also on Friday, September 13 ,the Chicago City Council's Committee on Pedestrian & Traffic Safety tweeted that the public hearing about the Greyhound situation, planned for September 23, had been nixed.
"Why?" responded sustainable transportation advocate Nik Hunder.
"The lead sponsor of the resolution [Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th)] preferred not to hold the hearing," replied a committee staffer.
Streetsblog has reached out to the alder for an explanation of why he decided to cancel the event. Ald. Ramirez-Rosa didn't respond by press time, but a source told us "He... wanted to give the Mayor's Office more time to figure [the Greyhound situation] out."
A few days later, on the morning of Tuesday, September 17, organizations supporting walk/bike/transit, the environment, people with disabilities, and reproductive rights responded to the cancellation. They sent an open letter to Mayor Johnson and Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney calling for "transparency and action regarding the future of the Greyhound terminal."
Read the full letter here:
The document said that closing the Greyhound station would negatively impact "low-income travelers, students, seniors, victims of domestic violence, the disabled community, people seeking medical care (including reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare), LGBTQ+ people, and beyond." It stated that two-thirds of intercity bus passengers make less than $40,000 a year, while a third make less than $20,000, while a quarter have no other transportation option.
"We are deeply concerned that a solution has not been identified with only days to go," the letter concluded. "However, Mayor Johnson still has an opportunity to course correct by rescheduling the hearing and creating space for residents and stakeholders to be active participants in this process."
Greyhound's owner Flix a middle finger at Chicago bus permitting rules?
Another vocal opponent of replacing the Greyhound station with curbside pickups and drop-offs on Jackson is Amtrak, which owns adjacent Union station, since the new bus stop location has no indoor waiting area or restrooms of its own. Obviously, bus riders would want to use that terminal's facilities, but the railroad says the station's seating, tables, and restrooms are already packed with Amtrak and Metra customers during rush hours. Moreover, a billion-dollar-plus renovation of the terminal is slated for next year.
If Amtrak didn't already feel like they were being kicked to the curb, railroad spokesperson Marc Magliari claims FlixBus, the German-based company that owns Greyhound, has been shooting dirty pool with its service to Jackson.
"Eight unexpected buses are now at the Jackson curbside, according to the Greyhound website," Magliari told Streetsblog late Wednesday afternoon. "This is triple the number of buses we expect, 12 instead of four, mainly during afternoons when [Union Station's] Amtrak connecting passengers [traffic] is at a peak and at highly congested times downtown." Curbside bus service on Jackson also slows down other drivers, although currently only one CTA bus line, the 1 Bronzeville/Union Station route, regularly stops there.
"To our knowledge, Flix has not been given a CDOT permit to run these Greyhound buses at Jackson to Cincinnati, Davenport [apparently Flix is a fan of local jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke], St. Louis [40 years ago Flix would have gotten its kicks on Route 66], Memphis, or Detroit," Magliari added.
Early this afternoon, Thursday, September 18, Magliari told Streetsblog that it appeared Flix was no longer up to its non-permitted Jackson service tricks. "I can confirm Flix has told us they removed the unexpected Greyhound buses from their 'Chicago Train Station' stop, leaving just the four buses representing two round-trips from here to Nashville."
Magliari cc-ed Flix spokesperson Karina Frayter on his email to Streetsblog about "unexpected Greyhound buses". She reached out to inquire about our coverage, but did not take issue Amtrak's latest statement. So it appears Flix has taken its unsanctioned buses out of the mix.
But wait, there's more!
If you didn't think there was enough downtown drama going on, local Ald. Bill Conway (34th), who has previously supported closing the current Greyhound station due to crime issues, provided this update in his newsletter late this afternoon. (Thanks to Streetsblog's Steven Vance for the heads-up about this.)
"It’s important that we provide safe, accessible, and affordable options for transportation," Ald. Conway said in his newsletter. "As the lease at the downtown Greyhound station is not being renewed, we must work across government and transit agencies to explore options for a multi-modal transit hub at an alternate location. I've made numerous attempts to work with the Mayor's Office on this issue to no avail, and am disappointed that a transparent public hearing about the station's closure was cancelled too."
"I’ve heard from many understandably concerned residents regarding public safety and ongoing criminal activity at this location," the alder concluded. "I'll continue engaging with transportation leaders, Amtrak, and FlixBus – despite the lack of engagement from the Mayor's Office – to ensure transportation access is not interrupted, and will provide updates as they are available."
In late August, the City's Chief Operating Officer John Roberson in a statement, "The City has had productive conversations with Amtrak, which has agreed to work in partnership to solve Greyhound’s problem of providing a clean and safe terminal facility for intercity bus passengers. These conversations are ongoing, and the City continues to work in close partnership with Amtrak and other stakeholders on a long-term comprehensive solution for travelers and Chicagoans."
Mayor Brandon Johnson's office did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the intercity bus situation sent early this afternoon.
So unfortunately, it seems very unlikely this problem will be solved before the current Greyhound station's four bus lines are forced to hit the road in the next couple of days. That's unless Mayor Johnson finds the political courage to stop Chicago from becoming a global transportation laughing-stock. Or maybe a magic bus will swoop in to save the day?
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