Closing downtown Greyhound station could hurt lower-income travelers: DePaul University study

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Greyhound bus station in downtown Chicago could be closing soon.

A new report from DePaul University's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development looked at the impact that closure could have, especially on low-income travelers.

"We're seeing Tampa, Cincinnati and other cities forced to open parking lots, curbs," DePaul University professor Joe Schwieterman said. "That just wouldn't work in a place like Chicago. We're too big, too important. Our weather's pretty bad in the wintertime."

The Greyhound station on Harrison Street handles about 55 scheduled buses a day and serves up to 500,000 passengers a year

Don Everly is one of those passengers. He flew into O'Hare from Anchorage, Alaska and is taking a bus for the final leg of his trip home to Plymouth, Indiana. The ticket cost $30, Everly said.

"If this place was to close down and not reopen somewhere in the vicinity, I guarantee you I'd be spending $150 to have someone come and pick me up," Everly said.

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The station was sold to Twenty Lake Holdings, a real estate investment and management firm, after Greyhound was acquired by a new parent company in 2021.

The study found Greyhound riders tend to be younger and lower-income than other types of travelers, and they are also less likely to have access to a car.

The study found that closing the bus station without providing another indoor, centrally located alternative would leave Chicago as the largest metropolitan area without a publicly provided downtown bus terminal.

Greyhound said in a response that they are committed to serving the constituents of Chicago and its visitors.

"There are no plans to discontinue our service," the statement read. "The company is currently engaged in an active search for a permanent location."