Greyhound expands operations in Gary
Greyhound and GPTC partner to expand operations in Gary
Contributed By: The 411 News
Regional passengers won't have to travel to Chicago to get across country
When Greyhound told Gary Public Transit Corporation that Gary was among the locations being looked at for possible expansion, that was good news for northwest Indiana’s only public bus transportation provider.
“You can look at other locations. But, this is the only place I know that has the infrastructure that you can hit on any artery, I-80/94, I-65; north, south, east, and west,” GPTC’s Interim General Manager Denise Dillard said she responded. “We have a train station and bus turnaround. If you can find it anyplace else in northwest Indiana, tell us where it is. I’ll put a route out there and we’ll service that, too.”
“They came back to me the next day. Greyhound told me no other place has the infrastructure that Gary has,” Dillard said.
At last week's press conference in Gateway Park, adjacent to the Metro Center, GPTC and Greyhound highlighted the successes of the partnership that started in mid-September.
It is also the 40th anniversary of the Adam Benjamin Metro Center.
Although Greyhound has been at the Metro Center since its opening, said Fatih Eroglu, Greyhound Regional Vice President, “Today we are making sure everyone in Gary has equal access to long distance travel. With our expanded operations here, we are embracing the potential Gary has to become a regional and national transportation hub.”
“With this expansion, passengers in the region will find it easier to access the entire Greyhound and Flix network. The enhanced facilities and amenities here will make our passengers trips more enjoyable,” Eroglu said.
David Wright, GPTC's Planning & Marketing Manager said, “The partnership allows people who are using Greyhound from northwest Indiana to worry less about getting to Chicago to get to a bus going across country because those buses will be leaving directly from Gary.”
“For instance, they can take a BMX (Broadway Metro Xpress) bus from Merrillville or Glen Park to the Metro Station,” Wright said. “Their departure is going to be right here; they’re not going to have to transfer in Chicago because their main bus is right here.”
Dillard said Greyhound had 32 buses at the Metro Center that week.
GPTC nor Greyhound wanted to talk about Greyhound and its parent company FlixBus losing the downtown Chicago station.
“This is about Gary,” Eroglu said.
“This is about bringing back an existing partner so they can expand,” Dillard said.
“Before this happened, the amount of money in the pot had never been more than $15,000 to $20,000; today it’s much more. It’s the cost of doing business. We’re renovating the bathrooms and fixing the escalator,” Dillard said.
A lot had happened before. Trees were removed. Curbs were repaired. Twenty-four hour security was added. “That was about safety,” Dillard said.
GPTC is planning to add more neighboring cities to its routes, Dillard said.
GPTC’s Denise Dillard at podium; seated U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, Jr., (l-r), Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, and Greyhound Regional Vice President Fatih Eroglu
Story Posted:10/09/2024
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