CITY HALL — Chicago will officially be allowed to purchase the city’s Greyhound bus station, a major step toward preserving the station and intercity bus transportation.
The City Council on Wednesday approved a purchasing agreement to buy the bus station at 630 W. Harrison St. for $19.2 million.
The move comes as officials also expanded the boundaries of the Canal/Congress Tax Increment Financing district to include the terminal, which would provide public funding to support the purchase and future improvements to the station. While it’s unclear how much those would cost, an additional $30 million has been budgeted for repairs, although that figure would still need City Council approval.
The bus terminal has been on a month-to-month lease with property owner Alden Global Capital since last year, after the company’s long-term lease expired.
The Greyhound bus station, 630 W. Harrison St., on Sept. 25, 2024 in the Near West Side. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
The purchase was approved with a 38-10 vote, with some alderpeople questioning whether the cash-strapped city should be buying property and raising concerns over whether Chicago should be responsible for operating a bus station.
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), who vehemently opposed the purchase when it was proposed in committee last week, said the city’s looming budget gap should give officials pause.
“We shouldn’t be in the business of buying property; we should be in the business of selling property,” Quinn said. “I’m not saying, let me be clear, that we shouldn’t have buses in the city of Chicago … [but] I’m not certain the city of Chicago should be running a bus station. I’m not certain we have the finances today to be pumping $50 [million], $75 million into this endeavor.”
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), whose ward borders the station, pushed back on that argument, saying the city has an obligation to preserve transportation access for people who cannot afford or easily use airports.
“There are people in our city that cannot afford to go to Midway or O’Hare … but yet still need to have a viable mode of transportation,” Ervin said.
Ald. Bill Conway (34th) holds a pen in his mouth during a City Council meeting on April 15, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Ervin also noted the money would come from the Canal/Congress TIF district, not the city’s general fund.
Ald. Bill Conway (34th), who represents the site, pleaded with his colleagues in a speech before the vote, saying the alternative would be to the detriment of the community and to those who rely on intercity bus travel.
Conway said he was initially “one of this project’s biggest skeptics,” particularly after learning the purchase was included in the Canal/Congress TIF plan without looping him in. However, he said he came around after reviewing the transition plan, meeting with neighbors and city departments and getting more clarity on security, operations and traffic.
Doing nothing, Conway warned, could leave hundreds of thousands passengers without an indoor terminal, or “at best waiting at the stop outside” on Harrison Street.
The Greyhound station has served intercity bus riders since the late 1980s and now handles about 500,000 passengers a year, including older adults, low-income riders, people with disabilities and others who can’t or don’t drive. If it closed, Chicago would become the largest city in the northern hemisphere without an intercity bus terminal, according to a DePaul University policy brief.
“Those nearly half a million riders are not powerful people,” Conway said. “They don’t have lobbyists, they don’t write campaign checks, but they are people that matter, and they rely on affordable transportation, and they are our constituents too.”
The sidewalk is power washed at the Greyhound bus station, 630 W. Harrison St., on Aug. 7, 2024 in the Near West Side, could close as soon as September. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
The deal puts the station under public ownership, but the city will not immediately take over day-to-day operations, according to city documents. Under a transition agreement signed by the city and Greyhound owner Flix, Flix would continue operating and managing the station for up to 12 months after the city closes on the property.
The city also plans to launch an RFP process to select a third-party contractor to operate the terminal.
Under the agreement, Flix will be responsible for several operating costs, including utilities, insurance, janitorial work, trash removal, snow removal, security and nonstructural repairs. The city will be responsible for large capital improvements like structural work and foundation repairs.
An assessment of the property shows the building needs improvements, with “deficiencies” found with the roof, HVAC, windows, and exterior doors, as well as other “deferred maintenance.” The assessment did not include an estimated cost for the repairs.
“Intercity bus service connects hundreds of thousands of people to work, family, and opportunity every year. That’s not something we can take for granted,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement after the vote. “We had a responsibility to protect this essential public asset, and today we delivered. I’m proud my administration led the charge to get this done.”
