Philadelphia officials have narrowed their search for a permanent Greyhound and intercity bus terminal from more than 280 potential locations to three finalists, launching the next phase of a planning process expected to take several years.
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission held a public open house on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at the Independence Visitor Center in Old City to gather feedback on the remaining options. The meeting initiated the public engagement phase for designing, funding, and constructing a long-term facility that city leaders have described as a future “world-class travel hub.”
Since June 2023, intercity buses such as Greyhound have operated through curbside pickups and drop-offs near the eastern end of Spring Garden Street after the city’s Greyhound station closed in 2023. Riders have waited outdoors without a formal terminal.
Rob Ketell described seeing passengers exposed to the weather. “I’ve seen them standing in the hot and in the cold and in the rain, and I really feel sorry for those people,” he said.
To stabilize operations temporarily, the city signed a 10-year lease in November 2025 for the former Greyhound station at 10th and Filbert streets, with an option to extend for up to five additional years. The Philadelphia Parking Authority is renovating the building, with plans to reopen it in May. Officials want it operational in time for this summer’s World Cup games, America250 celebrations, and several other large events in 2026.
Despite the reopening, the Filbert Street site is not intended as a permanent solution. Mason Austin, director of transportation for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, said planning for a long-term facility must begin now, explaining that although the lease expiration “feels far away,” it is “not too early to start thinking about a new station, and where the ‘forever home’ of the bus station in Philadelphia will be.”
After reviewing 280 locations citywide, planners narrowed the list to three:
- A parking lot at 2931 Arch Street near 29th and Arch streets, just north of 30th Street Station and adjacent to the Cira Centre office tower.
• Two parking lots at 701–709 and 721–737 Arch Streets next to the African American Museum in Philadelphia near 8th and Arch streets.
• The Philadelphia Gateway garage and a parking lot at 1500–1598 Vine Street near 15th and Vine.
The 30th and Arch location received strong support from attendees at the Feb. 25 meeting. Brewerytown resident Miles Owen, a planning instructor at the University of Pennsylvania who previously worked for the city and Amtrak, said the site integrates with existing transit infrastructure. It connects to Amtrak, NJ Transit, SEPTA Regional Rail, local buses, subway service, and Interstate 76, which runs along the site’s eastern edge.
Owen described it as the most logical option because of its connection to the existing transit and transportation grid, adding that from there, people could enter the city and travel elsewhere.
Paul Spencer, another attendee, focused on connectivity to other transit modes. “My biggest priority is interacting with other methods of transit,” he said. “An intercity bus that’s taking you from New York to here, you’re not going to be at your final destination. And if you take the bus all the way down here just to call an Uber, it’s so redundant.”
Olney resident Kim Simmons supported the 30th Street proposal, describing it as offering more space, accessibility, and convenience. She frequently travels by bus to visit family in New Jersey and New York. At the open house, Simmons added a Post-it note listing priorities that included safety, accessibility, comfort, and cleanliness. She also raised concerns common to public transportation systems, including homelessness and people smoking or using drugs.
Discussion also centered on the two Center City options. Bella Vista resident Nancy Biller said her son frequently travels on Peter Pan and other carriers, and she occasionally drives visitors to Spring Garden Street for bus departures. She expressed appreciation that Filbert Street will reopen for the 2026 events.
Biller acknowledged that 30th Street offers greater capacity and direct access to Regional Rail and transportation connections. However, she described the surrounding grid of Market, Arch, 29th, and 30th streets as heavily trafficked and not especially welcoming for people arriving in the city. She said the 8th and Arch location places travelers close to Chinatown, Reading Terminal Market, and the Liberty Bell.
Concerns were also raised about proximity to Chinatown. Community leaders have previously objected to buses routing through the neighborhood on their way to and from Filbert Street, and similar issues could arise at 8th Street. Simmons described the 8th and 15th Street sites as cluttered and close to Chinatown. Feedback at the meeting was more favorable toward 30th Street, while 15th and Vine received little support.
City Councilmember Jeffery Young, who convened a council hearing on the project in May 2025, attended the Feb. 25 open house to gather input. He declined to endorse a specific site, stating he preferred a location central to public transportation with easy highway access.
Although public interest in 30th Street was evident, Austin described the engineering challenges associated with that option. Constructing a terminal adjacent to 30th Street Station could require reinforcing and possibly extending an elevated deck over active rail lines. Reconfiguration of nearby Pennsylvania Department of Transportation highway ramps might also be necessary.
“It’s a big project. It’s a very exciting option that has a lot of barriers to it. It’d be very expensive. Building over a railway is complicated. We have not had serious discussions with Amtrak yet to know if they’d be interested,” Austin said.
He said no site is perfect, adding that each of the 280 locations reviewed presented both upsides and downsides.
The eventual project is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. The Department of Planning and Development has stated that incorporating housing or retail into a larger development could help pay for construction and terminal operations, supplementing payments from bus companies and funding from the city and other government sources. Austin said no market analysis has yet been conducted to determine developer interest or project needs. At this stage, planners are identifying sites that provide sufficient flexibility for potential development while maintaining the bus station as a priority use.
The Planning Commission will present revised conceptual designs later this year at a second public meeting and publish a report with recommendations. Once a preferred site is selected, city officials can begin pursuing funding for construction.
