Houston city leaders left in the dark as Greyhound set to move downtown hub in fewer than 24 hours

Lileana Pearson Image
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Officials frustrated over Greyhound's decision to close downtown hub
Greyhound will no longer operate out of downtown Houston starting Thursday, which city leaders say they weren't even given a heads up.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston city leaders said they are left in the dark after learning Greyhound plans to close its massive downtown hub and move operations to its much smaller terminal on Harrisburg Boulevard in Magnolia Park.

The new hub is significantly smaller. At just a quarter the size of the Main Street terminal, leaders wonder how this is all going to condense down and work.

"I knew they were looking at closing or selling, but in terms of their location, that's new," Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

Despite the change coming in less than 24 hours, even the top Houston leader had no idea the move was coming so soon.

"I found out about it this morning, so I'm following up on that," Turner said.

Councilmember Robert Gallegos, who represents District I, the new home of the Houston Greyhound hub, said he had no clue he would soon be hosting the major operation until he got a text Tuesday night.

"A community member brought this to my attention via text. I was not aware of it. I'm very surprised Greyhound did not reach out to the council member," Gallegos said.

Because there is a small Greyhound terminal already in the location, no prior approval was needed by the city, but Gallegos said he would have liked the heads up.

"It's easy to get ahold of me. I'm really shocked and therefore don't have any information," Gallegos said.

He told ABC13 that prior notice would have allowed him to tackle one major issue he saw. The Main Street hub has a known crime issue, and he's worried it will now come to Magnolia Park.

"Security is going to be provided for sure," Gallegos said.

Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is troubled by the no-warning announcement, calling Greyhound "bad neighbors" during their downtown residency.

Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who represents District D, the home of the Main Street terminal, said she knows all too well the number and variety of crimes the hub has attracted. She's hoping the issue isn't passed on to District I.

"I want everyone to be safe. I want people traveling through the district as well as people who are residents of the district. But my primary concern is for the residents," Evan-Shabazz said.

In a statement to ABC13, Greyhound said the following:

"The Houston market remains one of the most important in the country for Greyhound. The Harrisburg Boulevard location will enable us to continue to provide convenient and affordable bus travel to Houstonians and those who live in these surrounding areas."

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