Where should Philly's permanent bus station go? Planners show new layouts for three sites Wednesday

Philadelphia is still picking a permanent home for intercity buses, and planners want to hear from riders this week. The City Planning Commission will show updated station layouts for each of three finalist sites at an open house Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St., second floor. No RSVP is needed (city update).

If you ride intercity buses, this decides where you will catch them for years to come. For people who live near the chosen site, it decides where those buses will pull in and out.

The three sites

• 30th and Arch streets, next to the Amtrak station and I-76
• 15th and Vine streets
• 8th and Arch streets

Planners narrowed the list from more than 280 possible locations earlier this year, Billy Penn reported. They have floated housing above the station, or retail inside it, to help pay for it.

What riders said

Nearly 1,800 people took the city's survey, and 61 gave feedback at a Feb. 25 meeting, the city says. Among the findings:

• 30th and Arch was the favorite, with 65% of votes.
• Nearly 89% said they usually reach intercity buses by transit, walking or biking.
• Being close to other transit was the top priority, followed by being close to shopping and dining.
• The top concerns were connections to other transportation, then public safety and security.

How we got here

Greyhound closed its terminal at 10th and Filbert streets at the end of June 2023, and buses moved to curbside stops on Spring Garden Street that November, according to a January city release. The building reopened May 1 as the Philadelphia Parking Authority Transportation Center, staffed around the clock, CBS Philadelphia reported. The city calls it a temporary fix.

What our records add

The interim terminal runs on two laws City Council passed without opposition:

• The bus fee. Bill 250951, from Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Mike Driscoll, set a fee on intercity buses that use loading zones and facilities, allowed camera-based monitoring to collect it, and authorized an agreement with the Parking Authority to enforce it. It passed 17-0 on Dec. 11, 2025, and was signed Dec. 17. The city said the renovation would cost about $2 million and that the PPA would run the building under a 10-year renewable agreement, with operating costs covered by the fees. Then-PPA Executive Director Rich Lazer called the camera-based fee system the first of its kind in the country.
• A parking tax carve-out. Bill 260507, also from Johnson, with Katherine Gilmore Richardson, excludes bus loading facilities from the city's parking tax. It passed 17-0 on June 11, 2026.

Our records show no Council bill yet on a permanent station. The city's materials don't give a cost, a funding plan or a completion date. Once a site is chosen, design, engineering, permitting and financing follow, Billy Penn reported. A project of that size, especially one built on city land or with a housing component, would likely need Council action on property, zoning or financing.

What's next

• Nov. 4, 6 to 8 p.m.: open house at the Independence Visitor Center. Posters and handouts will be posted afterward on the project's documents page.
• After that: planners say the feedback will shape later planning and design. The city has not said when it will recommend a site.