Greyhound to open new West Side terminal, ending Downtown presence

For the first time in decades, Greyhound will not operate out of Downtown Columbus.

The bus service on Wednesday will open a new terminal at 845 N. Wilson Road on the West Side, following the Central Ohio Transit Authority's 2021 purchase of Greyhound's terminal at 111 E. Town St. for $9.5 million.

Greyhound's new terminal, in the site of a former Shell station, features indoor and outdoor seating, ADA accessible restrooms, a ticket kiosk, and round-the-clock live ticket sales. The new site doesn't offer food but is within walking distance of a Waffle House, Wendy's and McDonald's.

The bus service offers 34 departures a day from Columbus, serving almost 2,300 North American destinations.

“This new location will continue Greyhound’s commitment to serving our customers in Columbus and the surrounding areas,” Brett Gaj, Greyhound's district manager for Ohio said in a news release. “With the peak travel season upon us, customers will be able to travel seamlessly throughout the region and beyond from this new station.”

Greyhound built its Downtown station in 1969. In recent years, the site had deteriorated and become a frequent scene of crime, prompting more than two police calls a day on average from January 2020 to July 2021. Crime became such a problem that the city attorney filed a nuisance abatement complaint threatening to close the site.

Greyhound approached the city about buying the property, which COTA plans to turn into a hub. Greyhound in the meantime has been serving riders from the COTA's South Terminal, at 26 E. Main St.

Many of Greyhound's old downtown terminals, including those in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver and Los Angeles, have been sold after the German company Flix SE acquired the bus company in 2021.

Greyhound's former Downtown location remains fenced off while COTA works on a redevelopment plan with partners including the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. and the Federal Transit Administration.

"We would like to move as quickly as we can," said COTA spokesperson Jeff Pullin. "We're looking to see if there's any way to use the property in the interim."

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker