Chicago's downtown Greyhound bus terminal may soon close with no plan in place

This Labor Day travel holiday could be the last for Chicago’s intercity Greyhound bus station.

The Greyhound bus line has been sold to German operator Flixbus, but much of its real estate has not and could soon be sold to a developer.

The possible closure of the terminal located in the 600 block of West Harrison Street could make Chicago the largest city in the Northern Hemisphere without an intercity bus terminal, according to a new report from the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University.

“We may be down to the last few weeks with the station. No real plan has been formed to save it,” Chaddick’s director Joe Schwieterman said. “That’s all bad for lower income and disabled communities. We need a fix."

Although advocates have been sounding the alarm about a possible closure for more than a year, efforts to address the situation have only picked up in the last few months. Chicago’s Chief Operating Officer, John Roberson, said in a statement that the Johnson administration is continuing to work with Greyhound and other stakeholders to “find a viable solution for intercity bus services and its passengers in downtown Chicago.”

The city notes that Greyhound does have an option to renew its lease at its current Harrison Street location “under the same terms and conditions that it currently operates under.”

Already, the current owners of the property, Twenty Lake Holdings, has hired a broker and is looking for a deal that could see the two-acre site into apartment buildings.

One temporary solution would be to shift Greyhound pickups and drop-offs to the sidewalks outside Union Station. 

“Nobody’s happy about the congestion around Union Station, so there’s a lot of red flags around that option,” Schwieterman said.

Gilda Brewton, a spokesperson for Flix, said Greyhound will likely have to leave the terminal by Sept. 20 under current circumstances.

She said any move to Union Station would require a reduction in service because buses would not be able to operate there during peak hours.

“We’re not going to operate as many schedules or as much service as we do, but we’ll have a foundation to operate, to take care of our customers,” Brewton said.

Bus traveler Lasana Jedpoor said he is disappointed by news that the Greyhound terminal may be closing.

“It’s inconvenient,” he said. “I don’t use the bus often, but the options seem to be diminishing.

Ald. Bill Conway of Chicago's 34th Ward said he has been trying to find a solution to the terminal problem. In a statement, he said he has been frustrated working with the Mayor’s office.

“Access to safe and affordable transportation is essential, and moving forward we must work together with other transit agencies in Chicago and Cook County to explore options for a multi-modal transit hub as an alternate location. I hope the Mayor’s Office will join us,” Conway said in a statement.

Schwieterman said that bus travel has been strong, and the terminal has been busy.

“I think the city has got the message, we will see if they have time to solve the crisis,” he said.