Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal

Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal
Intercity bus terminal
Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal in November 2018
General information
Location618 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107
Coordinates39°57′10″N 75°09′26″W / 39.9529°N 75.1571°W / 39.9529; -75.1571
Owned byGreyhound Lines
Platforms14 gates
Bus operatorsBus interchange Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines
Bus interchange Fullington Trailways
Bus interchange Martz Trailways
Bus interchange Peter Pan Bus Lines
ConnectionsMainline rail interchange Regional Rail (at Jefferson)
Subway interchange  MFL  at 11th Street
City Bus SEPTA City Bus
NJT Bus NJ Transit regional and suburban buses to South Jersey
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Opened1988
ClosedJune 23, 2023[1]

The Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal was the primary intercity bus station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station's function relocated to 618 Market Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets in Center City Philadelphia. Prior to relocating to its current Market Street location on June 27, 2023, the terminal was located at 1001 Filbert Street in Center City Philadelphia.

In 2013 the terminal was the third-busiest Greyhound bus station in the U.S.[2]

The station contained seating areas, a full service ticket counters, a snack bar, food and beverage vending machines, televisions, video games, pay telephones, and restrooms.

History

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The site of the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal was originally the location of the Harrison Stores building, which burned down in 1984 while under renovation. In 1985, the building was demolished and replaced with the bus station. Prior to this, the Greyhound bus station was at the current site of the BNY Mellon Center at 1735 Market Street.[3]

On August 2, 2022, it was announced that the Philadelphia 76ers planned to buy the site of the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal in order to construct the 76 Place at Market East arena that is planned to open in 2031. As a result, the Greyhound terminal would have to relocate, with possible locations including the former Philadelphia Police Department headquarters at 750 Race Street and the area of 30th Street Station.[3]

On June 27, 2023, Greyhound moved their bus terminal from 10th and Filbert streets to a storefront along Market Street between 6th and 7th streets. The move was made as part of Greyhound shifting from a model with terminal bus stops to curbside bus stops. The bus terminal along Market Street, which serves Greyhound, Peter Pan, and Flixbus, consists of a building with ticket machines and an office staffed by agents, with the buses stopping along the curb. The terminal does not have restrooms or a shelter to protect riders waiting for buses from the elements. The relocation of the bus terminal has drawn criticism from riders.[4]

Former services

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National provider

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Bus gates at Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal

Greyhound also provided connecting service to other in-state and out-of-state destinations via transfers.

Interregional providers

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A NJ Transit bus at Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal

Various interregional bus companies also provided direct service to and from the Philadelphia bus terminal. The companies and some of the key locations they served included:

Like Greyhound, the Trailways providers' services connect with other bus routes in the Greyhound/Trailways system to allow trips to other regional and national destinations.

Connections

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The Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal offered connections to SEPTA Regional Rail at Jefferson Station and the Market–Frankford Line at 11th Street station. Several SEPTA bus routes (17, 23, 33, 38, 44, 47m, 48, and 61) stop one block away from the terminal on Market Street. In addition. several NJ Transit bus routes (400, 401, 402, 404, 406, 410, 412, 414, 417, 551, and 555) stop in Center City Philadelphia as close as one block from the Greyhound Bus Terminal on Market Street. NJ Transit formerly provided regional bus service to the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal via routes 313, 315, 316, 317, 408, 409, and 551. NJ Transit service to Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal ended on February 28, 2022 due to the reconfiguration of the bus station. The 551 bus was changed to start at 10th and Market streets while the remaining buses were changed to start at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, New Jersey, with free transfers to buses operating into Philadelphia.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Greyhound's bus station move leads to dead-end on Cuthbert and crowds of customers on Market".
  2. ^ "Top Ten Busiest Terminals Based on Passenger Volume in 2013". Greyhound Lines, Inc. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b DiStefano, Joseph N. "Proposed Sixers arena site would expand across Filbert Street". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ^ Rinde, Meir (6 July 2023). "Greyhound's bus station move leads to dead-end on Cuthbert and crowds of customers on Market". BillyPenn. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Greyhound, Peter Pan will split up and be rivals again - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. ^ "UPDATE: Bus Route Nos. 313, 315, 317, 408, 409 & 551: Bus Service Changes at Greyhound Terminal in Philadelphia – Beginning Monday, February 28, 2022". NJ Transit. Retrieved 30 March 2022.