Greyhound sounding Chicago alarm

[PVD]

Groo, runs shuttle vans from Columbus ga to ATL airport. Stops in Newnan, Ga and LaGrange GA,

Groome bought Arizona Shuttle which does the Flag to Phoenix and Flag to Grand Canyon runs

 

[MARC Rider]

Bayrunner shuttle runs van service between BWI and Western Maryland/Eastern Shore. They stop at the the Cumberland Amtrak station, the BWI Amtrak station and the Baltimore Greyhound station. I think they can be booked as a Thruway service connecting at the BWI Rail Station.

https://bayrunnershuttle.com/locations/

It seems like they're vans, which would not be my favorite choice for a 2-4 hour trip from BWI to the extremes of eastern and western Maryland.

 

[NorthShore]

Some interesting angles in this article about how a challenge to service conditions affect pasengers' real lives and transportation options.

https://abc7chicago.com/post/expect...d-affect-women-seeking-abortions-il/15275036/

It looks like the city is, rhetorically, shooting back at Greyhound about their need to abandon the station, while simultaneously negotiating with Amtrak. The national passenger rail service appears to be on board about sharing Union station, from what the article now implies.

In a statement, Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson said:

"The Johnson Administration continues, as it has over these past months, to work with Greyhound and other stakeholders to find a viable solution for intercity bus services and its passengers in downtown Chicago. While we have looked at a number of different options, it should be noted that Greyhound has an option to renew its lease at its current Harrison Street location under the same terms and conditions that it currently operates under.

"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."

 

[NorthShore]

https://wgntv.com/news/traffic/greyhound-chicago-bus-station-west-loop-09202024/amp/

Earlier this summer, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) introduced a resolution calling attention to the terminal dilemma. He said Friday that he remains hopeful that a short-term solution is on the horizon, including extending Greyhound’s lease through next spring.

“I think it’s in the best interest of these private entities to come to an agreement and to figure this out. I think they can figure it out. I’ve heard from people involved in these conversations, both inside and outside of government, that a short-term solution is possible. And that’s what I want to happen right now,” he said.

 

[NorthShore]

But, meanwhile, the jockeying for position has continued:

It seems the fallout has already begun.

Amtrak, the train operator that owns Chicago Union Station, accused Greyhound this week of moving more buses to the curb outside the station than allowed.

There are now triple the number of buses scheduled to stop on Jackson Boulevard outside the station — 12 instead of four, Amtrak said.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2024/09/19/greyhound-bus-union-station-amtrak

 

[NorthShore]

As the end date of Greyhound’s lease at its downtown Chicago bus station approaches, the company has begun routing more buses through Gary, Indiana, a new analysis of bus schedules shows.

The changes suggest a proactive response to the potential closure of the downtown station, according to the report from DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.

The institute’s latest report, based on an analysis of bus schedules, found changes that have seemingly made Gary a hub for bus service. The city has been added as a stop on several routes, in some cases adding miles and time, the analysis found.

“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 report noted. “Now, that prospect appears likely.”​

​

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024...n-could-be-gary-indianas-gain-analysis-shows/

While Gary Metro isn't adequate or equipped as a major intercity hub, it has also been recently used as the transfer point for South Shore Line's bus bridge, while that railroad was shut down for miles during construction for double tracking. So, there is some reasonable argument for using it on an increased basis as a transfer station to Chicago and NW Indiana, at least.

Perhaps, what this really highlights, however, is whether Chicago should remain as the major transfer hub for interciy bus services, which it long has been. For instance, if more terminus transfers were scheduled at Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Milwaukee could service to Chicago be more regionalized with only stopovers at local transit centers (such as those that now exist at Gary, 95th Red Line, and Cumberland Blue Line, and at Union Station) serving the local Chicago metro population and those actually traveling to the area as their destination?

 

[Palmland]

Interesting CNN story.

Perhaps there should be an Amtrak style bus system- hopefully with better management.

 

[railiner]

Interesting CNN story.

Perhaps there should be an Amtrak style bus system- hopefully with better management.

If there was, it would probably cost taxpayers a lot less than Amtrak does, with a better revenue to cost ratio…

 

[BlackDiamond]

Interesting CNN story.

Perhaps there should be an Amtrak style bus system- hopefully with better management.

Ideally you would have one umbrella organization that would coordinate both rail and bus service. Like the setup in Ireland where the National Transport Agency operates both Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann the national rail and bus systems.

 

[toddinde]

Ideally you would have one umbrella organization that would coordinate both rail and bus service. Like the setup in Ireland where the National Transport Agency operates both Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann the national rail and bus systems.

That’s exactly what we need.

 

[jimdex]

Ideally you would have one umbrella organization that would coordinate both rail and bus service. Like the setup in Ireland where the National Transport Agency operates both Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann the national rail and bus systems.

A truly coordinated bus and train system would establish a true national ground transportation network to offer an alternative to driving or flying.

 

[zephyr17]

A truly coordinated bus and train system would establish a true national ground transportation network to offer an alternative to driving or flying.

Yeah, I've long thought that rail and bus ought to be a coordinated national ground transportation network. California provides a US model for this with their state supported coordinated and dedicated Thruway connections with the Surfliner, San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor services.

 

[Willbridge]

Yeah, I've long thought that rail and bus ought to be a coordinated national ground transportation network. California provides a US model for this with their state supported coordinated and dedicated Thruway connections with the Surfliner, San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor services.

Oregon was headed that way, starting in 1975, but there's been a lot of staff turnover, and it looks as though they've been drifting.

2008 on US20 - sabotaged in 1997 by discontinuance of the Pioneer.

 

[daybeers]

Ambus

 

[TheVig]

Ambus

AmHound

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

AmHound

I'd suggest Amways..... but I think that's taken...

 

[NorthShore]

A month to month lease extension has been tentatively agreed upon.

A spokesperson for Flix North America, which owns Greyhound, said in a statement the company is negotiating a “month-to-month” lease to stay at the site with station owner Twenty Lake Holdings, a subsidiary of the Alden Global Capital investment firm.

Greyhound’s lease at the terminal, 630 W. Harrison St., was expected to end on Sunday. A company vice president previously said bus lines would have to vacate the facility by Sept. 20, but they have continued operating there this month.

“We will not be leaving the Harrison Street terminal on October 20. Our team is finalizing a month-to-month lease extension with Twenty Lake, and our operations will continue without disruption,” spokesperson Merrill Leedom wrote in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “This is a temporary solution, and we remain actively engaged with the city and other stakeholders to secure a long-term home for intercity bus service in Chicago.”

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/1...est-loop-station-just-as-it-was-set-to-close/

https://www.wbez.org/reset-with-sas...7/chicago-greyhound-bus-station-lease-renewed

 

[Amtrak25]

Major attitude adjustment for Flixbus/Greyhound, that actually has to behave like a real bus company, not a curbside-Chinatown outfit.

They also need to learn stop stranding people at "depots" (filling stations) for days awaiting a driver to show up.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

They also need to learn stop stranding people at "depots" (filling stations) for days awaiting a driver to show up.

Don’t work OTR anymore, but never seen or heard of this happening. Truck driver need 10 hours off, bus driver only need 8 hours off. Not sure how fatigue changes with type of vehicle, but airlines and train are regulated differently so….

So do you have any links to back your statement? Fact check, please.

 

[railiner]

Here's a summary of the DOT/FMCSA hours of service regulations for commercial driver's..
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/summary-hours-service-regulations

As for Greyhound stranding passenger's, it has been going on widespread for several years, owing to a severe shortage of driver's. There have been numerous stories in the media covering it...

 

[Willbridge]

Here's a summary of the DOT/FMCSA hours of service regulations for commercial driver's..
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/summary-hours-service-regulations

As for Greyhound stranding passenger's, it has been going on widespread for several years, owing to a severe shortage of driver's. There have been numerous stories in the media covering it...

The last time I rode Greyhound on what was then the last through PDX > SLC > DEN bus:

1. The driver did a magnificent job of getting us through a snowstorm in the Blues. The passengers applauded when we made it through.

2015 - Breakfast at Baker City.


2. Around Baker, the heat failed. Luckily, the bus was almost full, so bus cooled slowly. Miserable at Boise, we waited for a mechanic from a local shop. Eventually, he gave up. Greyhound did not have a spare bus at Boise. (My father, who was 92 years old by then, had followed intercity bus service for business reasons since the 1940's and he was flabbergasted when I told him later about that.) Eventually, Dallas arranged for a bus and driver from Northwestern Stages, with the relief Greyhound driver as pilot.

2015 - Back then, GL still had a 1950's station in Boise. No longer.


2015 - In hindsight, they should have gotten set up with Northwestern ASAP.


3. Arrived SLC Intermodal Center and there had been one spare bus there. It had departed on our schedule on-time. We were invited to spend the night on the anti-sleeping station benches. Some passengers got together to book a room or two nearby. GL agent explained that there would be two buses to Denver in the morning, so all would be accommodated. What he didn't say is that one of them was a slow and scenic trip via US40, which always had room for spillover passengers. I walked over to Amtrak and bought a ticket to Denver.

4. Today this is three buses: Flix PDX > BOI, Flix BOI > SLC, GL SLC > DEN. There is no station in Portland, Boise, or Salt Lake City. The US40 trip has been discontinued. (CDOT Bustang runs a round-trip Craig <> Denver.)