Greyhound rolls into Denver Union Station

[Willbridge]

Greyhound has kept up a skeleton network of mostly daily service in the Pandemic period, so it should fit with little problem in the 22-bay Denver Union Station underground bus concourse. Before the Pandemic service had been cut to a fraction of what it was when the DUS project was planned. A separate intercity bus terminal was in the early plans and had it been built it would have been oversized by 2016.

The former station was built as a joint Greyhound--Trailways project in land surplus to Denver urban renewal projects. Having been built in the heyday of traffic scavenged from the collapse of the rail passenger network it had a large amount of space for package express, checked baggage, etc. and office space for regional managements of both companies. Reading between the lines it was supported by downtown developers who wanted to get "those people" out of the business district. Within the decade following its opening almost all regional local runs were discontinued, part of a national trend that was accelerated by locating the new station a quarter mile away from most city bus routes and 1/3 of a mile from department stores (which now are gone, too). It did have easy parking at almost any time of day.

Real estate developers did not want "those people" in the new station and even took a swing at Amtrak Thruway trips planned to serve the station. They made an effort to keep Amtrak trains away, also. Ironically, however, as the planning process guided by development money proceeded, the bus concourse grew from 16 bays requested by transit planners to 22. The extension of the concourse provided access to relocated light rail tracks, opening up a large surface area. Previously light rail platforms were adjacent to commuter rail / intercity rail platforms. The added bus bays were not sufficient to handle Greyhound then but they are now.

Having all of their service in DUS will aid Greyhound not only for general transit access but specifically access for Denver International Airport linked with DUS by commuter rail service. Little is left of the extensive Amtrak Thruway service from before the Pandemic and 3x weekly service but having the bus and rail service in the same station will help when there are disruptions on either network.

Read more:

RTD announcement

Farewell to the Denver Bus Center as it officially was named. Passengers here in 2015 wait while Greyhound's New York City to Los Angeles bus is taken away to the garage for servicing. It was running later than its scheduled post-midnight departure.

 

[railiner]

I was there at the grand opening of the new Denver Bus Center in 1976, when Colorado governor Rich Lamm cut the ribbon....
The previous Continental Trailways terminal at Broadway and Court Street is long gone, but the even older Greyhound terminal at 17th and Glenarm is still there, used partially as a parking garage.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...6e05567747013!8m2!3d39.7453993!4d-104.9888019
I used to drive into that terminal for Denver Boulder Bus Co. back in 1973, prior to RTD taking over its operation.

Greyhound had a much smaller presence in Denver than Trailways did, back then. They had only a few offices there. Continental had a large regional office, but it was located in the same building as the garage at 24th and Curtis Streets.

 

[railiner]

I just read the RTD annoucement...by its language, it doesn't seem 'thrilled' by Greyhound moving in, and not very hospitable...but then again, Greyhound is probably not paying for anything better, either...

 

[como]

I was there at the grand opening of the new Denver Bus Center in 1976, when Colorado governor Rich Lamm cut the ribbon....
The previous Continental Trailways terminal at Broadway and Court Street is long gone, but the even older Greyhound terminal at 17th and Glenarm is still there, used partially as a parking garage.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...6e05567747013!8m2!3d39.7453993!4d-104.9888019
I used to drive into that terminal for Denver Boulder Bus Co. back in 1973, prior to RTD taking over its operation.

Greyhound had a much smaller presence in Denver than Trailways did, back then. They had only a few offices there. Continental had a large regional office, but it was located in the same building as the garage at 24th and Curtis Streets.

I grew up in Boulder and remember many trips on Denver Boulder Bus Co., getting off the bus at 17th and Glenarm and wandering around downtown with family and friends. Going to movies, going ice skating in front of May D&F, and many other places and things that are no longer part of downtown Denver.

 

[Willbridge]

I just read the RTD announcement...by its language, it doesn't seem 'thrilled' by Greyhound moving in, and not very hospitable...but then again, Greyhound is probably not paying for anything better, either...

Yes. Much as I appreciate intermodalism there are specific problems that have to be worked out and reading between the lines I'd say they have been set aside in favor of them learning the hard way.

 

[Willbridge]

I was there at the grand opening of the new Denver Bus Center in 1976, when Colorado governor Rich Lamm cut the ribbon....
The previous Continental Trailways terminal at Broadway and Court Street is long gone, but the even older Greyhound terminal at 17th and Glenarm is still there, used partially as a parking garage.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...6e05567747013!8m2!3d39.7453993!4d-104.9888019
I used to drive into that terminal for Denver Boulder Bus Co. back in 1973, prior to RTD taking over its operation.

Greyhound had a much smaller presence in Denver than Trailways did, back then. They had only a few offices there. Continental had a large regional office, but it was located in the same building as the garage at 24th and Curtis Streets.

Greyhound in this area was mostly descended from the Union Pacific, while Trailways was a combination of the Rio Grande, Burlington and Santa Fe bus subsidiaries. The one line that I can't explain from Denver was Greyhound's route south through Raton. They were not allowed to carry intrastate passengers on the stretch between Denver and Walsenburg. Most things like that were grandfathered from the decade or so when there was state regulation but no federal regulation.

 

[railiner]

Greyhound in this area was mostly descended from the Union Pacific, while Trailways was a combination of the Rio Grande, Burlington and Santa Fe bus subsidiaries. The one line that I can't explain from Denver was Greyhound's route south through Raton. They were not allowed to carry intrastate passengers on the stretch between Denver and Walsenburg. Most things like that were grandfathered from the decade or so when there was state regulation but no federal regulation.

You can also add the Missouri Pacific to the Trailways mix...they had a route from Kansas City to Pueblo via Hoisington, KS.
D-CS-P division of Continental Trailways had the full intrastate routes on the Denver to Walsenburg line. They only ran a single trip on to Trinidad...the rest of the trips towards Albuquerque operated via Ft. Garland and Taos over Valley Transits route...

Greyhound had two division's serving Denver...Denver to Cheyenne, and Nebraska, and also to Kansas City via US 40 was Overland Greyhound Lines; while Denver to Kansas City via US 24 and also to Albuquerque and Amarillo via Raton, was Southwestern GL.

 

[tgstubbs1]

I have taken two interstate bus trips but not more than 600 miles. It would be quite an ordeal to go farther, if you ask me.
They do a reasonably good job though.

 

[jis]

Back in my graduate student days (40 years back) when I really could not even afford Amtrak (on a Teaching Assistantship), I spent a month traveling on a one month Greyhound Ameripass all the way across the country and enjoyed it immensely. It is unlikely that I would attempt such a thing now.

 

[caravanman]

Irma Kurtz's book "The Great American Bus Ride" is a fascinating account of her Greyhound Bus rides. Published in 1991, it may recount some routes which no longer exist today. Great read, as much about her fellow passengers as the places she visits.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Back in my graduate student days (40 years back) when I really could not even afford Amtrak (on a Teaching Assistantship), I spent a month traveling on a one month Greyhound Ameripass all the way across the country and enjoyed it immensely. It is unlikely that I would attempt such a thing now.

Ditto!!!

 

[railiner]

Back in my graduate student days (40 years back) when I really could not even afford Amtrak (on a Teaching Assistantship), I spent a month traveling on a one month Greyhound Ameripass all the way across the country and enjoyed it immensely. It is unlikely that I would attempt such a thing now.

The remains of the national bus network is but a small fraction of what it was, even in 1980...not only the routes, but also the frequency of service on those routes, that made an Ameripass so handy for serendipitous traveling in those days...

 

[Willbridge]

I have taken two interstate bus trips but not more than 600 miles. It would be quite an ordeal to go farther, if you ask me.
They do a reasonably good job though.

The last time I rode Denver>Las Vegas (due to no Desert Wind) there was a passenger using a wheelchair who was riding from Newark to Las Vegas.

 

[railiner]

Besides the variety of routes, and departure times, which allowed you to see all the country in daylight, and stopping overnight; another advantage of the Ameripass over the USARailPass, was you did not have to plan your whole trip in advance, and not have to reserve any segments. You could travel wherever and whenever you wished, taking advantage of newly found interests along the way.

 

[Willbridge]

Besides the variety of routes, and departure times, which allowed you to see all the country in daylight, and stopping overnight; another advantage of the Ameripass over the USARailPass, was you did not have to plan your whole trip in advance, and not have to reserve any segments. You could travel wherever and whenever you wished, taking advantage of newly found interests along the way.

Which led to a British passenger being taken off of the Empire International bus at Kingsgate, BC because Canada Immigration wanted to know why he was entering Canada from Idaho. He had a Greyhound Ameripass. That was in 1971 when there were 2x daily trips between Spokane and the GLC connection at Yahk, BC (following the former route of the Calgary Flyer / Spokane Flyer). That route has been gone for several years now, but it was a good example of the diversity of routes offered with the Ameripass or the Trailways Eagle Pass.

 

[jis]

Back then I used the Ameripass on Intermountain Lines in Montana to get to Glacier Park from Great Falls via Shelby, and then on to Kalispell. I don't think you can do any of that any more. I got to Great Falls from the cross country route stop at Missoula via Helena. Great Falls was my base in Montana since I had a free place to stay at there at my friend's parent's place. To throw in a bit of rail stuff, their neighbor was an Engineer who worked for BN and weas happy to let me tag along to the BN locomotive facility in Great Falls.

 

[Willbridge]

Back then I used the Ameripass on Intermountain Lines in Montana to get to Glacier Park from Great Falls via Shelby, and then on to Kalispell. I don't think you can do any of that any more. I got to Great Falls from the cross country route stop at Missoula via Helena. Great Falls was my base in Montana since I had a free place to stay at there at my friend's parent's place. To throw in a bit of rail stuff, their neighbor was an Engineer who worked for BN and weas happy to let me tag along to the BN locomotive facility in Great Falls.

Intermountain had a thin but well set up network but being thin meant starvation when things went bad. My first trip in their territory was after Rimrock Trailways took over Whitefish to Missoula to Billings via Great Falls. In Great Falls one of the passengers boarding was an Amish woman en route to Mexico. She only spoke archaic German and modern Spanish. I introduced myself to her father and told him I would look after her till Denver, where she'd find Spanish onward. A young woman nearby introduced herself as a German tourist. Then a young Black man came forward and said that he'd learned German in the Army. So the four of us sat together and bewildered the other passengers.

The cowgirl who wanted to get in the photo was not Amish.