Plans to install bathroom, welcome center at Philadelphia bus terminal hit snag
Passengers traveling on inter-city bus carriers in Philadelphia are hoping something can be done to help protect them from the elements. Plans to install a temporary structure with a bathroom are now up in the air.
The terminal is beneath a highway underpass on Spring Garden Street near 2nd Street in Northern Liberties, and accommodations for bus passengers are lacking.
Sources in the city told CBS News Philadelphia no one is happy with the location. People like Tiffany Lewis and Dana Jackson both said they just don't like it here.
"I try to go get there when the bus is about to pull off," Lewis said.
"I try to wait until the last minute to get over here," Jackson said.
The saga of the city's bus terminal upheaval goes back a year and a half. Service was pulled out of a location at 10th and Filbert streets, moving to a curbside pick-up and drop-off near 7th and Market streets.
Now, buses roll in and out from beneath a highway underpass on Spring Garden Street. So last month, the city revealed plans to add a temporary warming and welcoming center with a bathroom. Bus riders were surprised.
They said they didn't know anything about it, but figured it was a step in the right direction.
"Benches, as well as a shed, if there is bad weather or anything, that would be real convenient," Jackson said.
However, some neighbors and nearby organizations have concerns.
"We didn't learn a lot about the specifics of the plan other than its location and bathrooms and rest area," Sydney Rexroad, the executive director of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, said.
The city says it temporarily paused the warming center while they gather more input. Rexroad and others aren't so sure this is the best spot for the buses to begin with.
"You will notice a real lack of lighting here, there isn't a lot of signage, there's not accessibility for passengers with mobility issues," Rexroad said. "It just leaves a lot to be desired."
Sources told CBS Philadelphia conversations are ongoing to find a better, permanent location for a bus terminal.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city is working "extremely hard" on finding a solution at the bus terminal and will provide an update "shortly."
"We're doing the best we can," Parker said.
CBS Philadelphia has learned a meeting between the city and neighbors in Northern Liberties will happen in the coming weeks.
