WHEREAS, Since the 1920s Philadelphia has been a critical hub for intercity bus service to entertainment gateways in South Jersey, most notably Atlantic City and Cape May, as well as other parts of Pennsylvania including the Lehigh Valley. Both national carriers such as Greyhound as well as state transportation authorities such as NJ Transit and DART have operated motorcoaches back and forth between Philadelphia and other destinations in the Mid-Atlantic region; and
WHEREAS, With the closure of the Greyhound Bus Terminal at 13th -Filbert in Chinatown, Philadelphia now lacks a publicly owned, brick-and-mortar intercity bus terminal offering seating, bathrooms, ticket offices and other amenities servicing intercity bus companies like Greyhound and Megabus. Bus service from Greyhound, Peter Pan, and other bus companies have since been rotating to various garages and lots across the city to significant public consternation, with voices in Old City and Northern Liberties being the loudest opponents; and
WHEREAS, Meanwhile, cities along the Northeast Corridor such as Boston, Baltimore, and New York City have multiple bus terminals spread throughout the city providing access to different central business districts, bridges, tunnels, and highways serving different routes to different cities. Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal carries 250,000 daily passengers, while its uptown cousin the George Washington Bridge Bus Station grants 20,000 daily passengers access to connectivity to Bergen County, New Jersey and the Bronx; and
WHEREAS, Intercity bus terminals often serve as commercial and retail hubs for passengers in transit. Were Philadelphia to build and expand more of them in places such as North Philadelphia, University City, Northeast Philadelphia, and Northwest Philadelphia, they could provide jobs to residents in distressed communities as well as function as
hubs of connectivity that make it easier for passengers to connect to different modes of transit
; and
WHEREAS, The city’s transit plan, Philadelphia 2045, endorses calls for the construction of an intercity bus terminal at 30th Street Station, which used to have a nearby pickup point for Megabus and which Amtrak utilizes for its Thruway Service. Amtrak has similarly proposed a new bus terminal at 29th -Arch next to 30th Street Station, which sits at the intersection of numerous transit connections; and
WHEREAS, The construction of a network of modern intercity bus terminals would represent a critical investment in Philadelphia’s transit-orientation, connecting Philadelphia to the rest of the region and providing working class Philadelphians with accessible transit options;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities is hereby authorized to hold hearings regarding the potential location of new intercity bus terminals in the City of Philadelphia.
End