CLEVELAND — Some Northeast Ohio Greyhound riders are wondering about the future of the centrally located Chester Avenue bus station they count on for crucial transportation after the terminal was recently sold to a new owner.
Joey Schwarten, who brought his concerns to News 5, believes if the Greyhound station is closed and its bus services are moved away from the Downtown area, it will make it difficult for low-income families who rely on the transportation hub every month.
"Almost heartbreaking, number one, this is such a beautiful building, but also it's just the resources that we need," Schwarten said, "A quarter of our city doesn't have car access or only has access to one car for a whole family. Moving it out to the suburbs, that would be tough. It's the most accessible spot in the entire region, and moving it out somewhere would make it really tough for those who don't have vehicles."
Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas records confirm the Chester Avenue Greyhound bus terminal, built in the 1940s, was purchased by Connecticut-Based real estate company Twenty Lake Holdings. Greyhound riders like Cynthia Elek told News 5 that the station sale leaves the bus terminal with an uncertain future.
Elek said moving Greyhound services out of Downtown Cleveland would make it even tougher to get the low-cost transportation she needs.
"For some people, including myself, it's a 45-minute drive to the closest bus station; if they move it, then we're going to have to drive further," Elek said. "It cost $47 just in an Uber ticket to get here; gas prices are what, almost $4 again. I mean, gas prices are fluctuating so much people can't even afford the extra gas to go further."
Schwarten, also on the coordinating committee of bus rider group Clevelanders for Public Transit, told News 5 the moving of Greyhound terminals in other cities had left riders with a significant loss in services.
"Some of these buildings don't even have access to restrooms; we're lucky that we have something like this," Schwarten said,
"Dayton, for example, it's just a little tiny building in Trotwood, right on the edge of what their service area is for public transit there. You have to sit outside and wait for the bus, and hopefully, it comes, and if it's raining or anything, you're on your own.
News 5 reached out to Twenty Lake Holdings by phone and email for this story, but we have yet to be given a response on the future of Cleveland's Greyhound terminal.
News 5 also contacted Greyhound corporate headquarters, and it issued a short statement:
There is nothing new to report. No decisions have been made. As soon as I know something, I'll shoot it to you immediately.
News 5 also contacted the office of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb about the potential move of the Chester Avenue Greyhound station, and it gave us the following response:
We’ve been in regular communication with both Greyhound and the new owners of the Chester Avenue station. We and our partners are all committed to working collaboratively on finding a location for Greyhound downtown, which fits seamlessly into our regional mobility network.
Schwarten is hoping the new owners and the City of Cleveland will work to preserve Greyhound's current Downtown location for the inner city's low-income families who need it most.
“It’s great to have such a building that’s so central to Greyhound, but also a place where you can just sit and lounge while you’re waiting for your bus," Schwarten said. “So heartbreaking for the city to lose a great part of not only our history but a great location for the city.”
News 5 will follow through on this developing story.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
