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South Station Bus Terminal

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Coordinates: 42°21′00″N 71°03′21″W / 42.3500°N 71.0558°W / 42.3500; -71.0558
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South Station Bus Terminal
Main entrance on Atlantic Avenue, Boston
General information
Location700 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
United States of America
Coordinates42°21′00″N 71°03′21″W / 42.3500°N 71.0558°W / 42.3500; -71.0558
Owned byMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Platforms29 bus bays
Bus operators10
ConnectionsMainline rail interchange MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak at South Station
Red Line, Silver Line at South Station (subway)
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedOctober 28, 1995
Location
Map

The South Station Bus Terminal, owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is the main gateway for long-distance coach buses in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at 700 Atlantic Avenue, at the intersection with Beach Street, in the Chinatown/Leather District neighborhoods. The facility is immediately south-southwest of the main MBTA/Amtrak South Station terminal, and is located above the station platforms and tracks.

Design

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Main hall and skylight, surrounded by food concessions and ticket sales counters

The bus station building has a mixture of glass and metal on its exterior, with mainly a red-granite stone and metallic-surfaced interior. Situated just south of and separate from the main South Station train terminal, the bus terminal is strikingly vertical in design, with five floors. Entry is via a long escalator, or a large glass-sided elevator with exterior views. The passageway from the upper entrance lobby towards the main hall has a series of large dark-tinted windows overlooking the railway tracks below.

The station contains a variety of amenities for waiting passengers. These include a newsstand and snack cart; free 15-minute public parking on the roof, and restrooms. Like other major transportation facilities, it also contains full service ticket counters, seating areas, and a waiting hall with designated gates leading to individual buses.

  • Floor 1: main entrance, walkway to South Station Rail Terminal
  • Floor 2: Security, MBTA Transit Police
  • Floor 3: bus platforms and boarding gates, concourse, food and concessions, restrooms,
  • Floor 4: offices, conference room
  • Floor 5: 15-minute free parking (parking entrance from Kneeland Street)

Bus companies

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As of 2025, the terminal is used by ten companies:[1]

History

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Previous terminals

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Buses at the Trailways Bus Terminal in the 1970s

Regional and intercity bus service from Boston began in the mid-1920s. A number of small terminals, most in the Park Square area, were used by different companies.[2]: 7–14  These were gradually consolidated into two major terminals.

The Boston and Worcester Street Railway (B&W) opened a terminal at 10 Park Square by 1930. It was rebuilt in 1946 with off-street bus parking.[2]: 29  At that time, it was also used by the Boston and Maine Transportation Company, New England Transportation Company, Quaker Stages, and Quaker City Bus Company.[3] New England Trailways began using the terminal by 1949. Trailways purchased the terminal in 1958 and renamed it Trailways Bus Terminal.[2]: 29  Other companies that used the terminal over the following decades included Almeida Bus Lines, Concord Coach, the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, the MBTA, Medeiros Bus Company, Michaud Bus Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, Rhode Island Bus Company, and Trombly Motor Coach.[4]

Greyhound Lines opened a terminal at 10 St. James Avenue in 1950, replacing a 1935-built terminal at 222 Boylston Street (60/80 Park Plaza).[2]: 69, 71  The terminal was also used at various times by Bonanza Bus Lines, Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway (P&B), Short Line, and Vermont Transit.[2]: 63  It was renovated in 1976.[5] The property was sold to a developer in 1985, and resold in 1987 and 1989, though the bus station remained open.[6][7]

In 1975, the MBTA built a temporary busway on the west side of South Station at a cost of $300,000.[8] It was intended to serve MBTA Turnpike express buses while their usual downtown terminal was closed for redevelopment of the Jordan Marsh flagship store, as well as P&B buses from the South Shore.[9] However, MBTA buses did not initially use the busway.[10] P&B used it as an intermediate stop and as midday bus storage, but continued to use the Greyhound terminal.[11]

On May 19, 1980, the Trailways terminal was closed to allow street reconfiguration and construction of the State Transportation Building. Trailways and its affiliates (Concord, Michaud, Peter Pan, and Trombly) moved to a temporary facility at the South Station busway.[12] They moved again to a new $1.1 million terminal at 555 Atlantic Avenue in Dewey Square on November 7, 1980.[13] MBTA express bus service was cut back to use the South Station busway as a terminal from April 1981 to May 1982.[14] In 1986, Trailways discontinued most of its remaining service in New England. Peter Pan took over the routes and renamed the station as the Peter Pan Bus Terminal.[2]: 146 

Greyhound drivers went on strike on March 2, 1990.[15] Bonanza and P&B drivers did not want to cross picket lines, so the companies moved to curbside operations nearby.[2]: 63  Bonanza bought a used van for use as a ticket office. That June, the company moved to Dartmouth Street in front of Back Bay station.[16] On November 10, 1992, Greyhound and Vermont Transit moved to a temporary terminal at the South Station busway.[2]: 95 [17][18]

Planning

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City officials proposed a large parking garage with a bus terminal at South Station, the city's largest railroad terminal, in July 1958. At the time, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was sharply cutting service as new highways were opening.[19] That December, Mayor John Hynes proposed a 1,700-space garage and bus terminal over the western tracks of the station.[20][21] Construction of a bus terminal and trucking terminal at South Station was again proposed by a state commission in 1961.[22]

In the mid-1960s, the proposed redevelopment of South Station – including a possible bus terminal – became mired in controversy. The Boston Terminal Company (a terminal railroad subsidiary of the New Haven and the New York Central Railroad that owned the station) filed in late 1964 to sell the property to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).[23] By that time, the railroads owed $2 million in back taxes for the station. The city, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and Boston Patriots owner Bill Sullivan sparred over who would redevelop the property – and crucially, whether the development would pay taxes to the city.[24][25] The BRA reached an agreement in August 1965 to purchase the station and took ownership on December 31, 1965.[26][27]

By mid-1967, the BRA had chosen a proposal by the Massachusetts Port Authority over one from Maxwell M. Rabb. The Port Authority proposal, designed by Josep Lluís Sert, included a bus terminal, a 5,000-car garage, and heliport along with a hotel and commercial buildings.[28] The city and Port Authority signed a development pact in January 1970.[29] However, the Port Authority pulled out of the plan that September due to an Internal Revenue Service ruling that bonds for the project would be taxed.[30]

In 1974, BRA plans switched to preserve the historic South Station building, with bus facilities still planned.[31] The new bus terminal was planned to be complete by the end of the decade.[9] In October 1977, the BRA and MBTA reached an agreement under which the MBTA would reconstruction the station while the BRA would manage commercial development. The deal removed the bus terminal from the plans because funding was not available.[32][33] A revised agreement in 1979 re-added the bus terminal, which the MBTA would build along with a 600-car parking deck.[34] The MBTA took ownership of South Station that August, though the BRA retained air rights.[35]

The Federal Railroad Administration released the draft environmental impact statement for the South Station project, including the bus terminal, in 1980.[36] The final environmental impact statement was released the next year. It included a two-phase air rights development. The first phase would include three levels with a bus terminal and 800 parking spaces; the second would add commercial development and more parking.[37] In 1982, the Federal Transit Administration awarded the MBTA $14 million for bus terminal construction and relocation of nearby Massachusetts Turnpike ramps.[38] The renovation of South Station lasted from 1984 to 1989.[39][40] Additional funding for the bus terminal came from an 1988 state bond bill.[41]

Construction and usage

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In January 1989, the MBTA awarded a $4.67 million final design contract to The Architects Collaborative and Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff.[42] The MBTA approved the final design in December 1990.[43] Late-1980s plans had called for 45 bus berths and 550 parking spaces.[44][42] However, the final design included only 29 bus berths and 215 spaces due to budget limitations.[43][45] In 1991, the state agreed to build a set of transit projects as part of the settlement of a lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) over auto emissions from the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Big Dig). Among these projects was the bus terminal, to be complete by the end of 1994.[46] The agency awarded a construction contract for the $81 million project in September 1992.[47][48]

The new bus terminal opened on October 28, 1995, though ticketing facilities were not completed until 1996. Its 29 bus berths were fewer than those available at the three terminals it replaced.[49] The companies using the Greyhound and Peter Pan terminals moved in immediately, while Bonanza did not begin using the terminal until December 3.[2]: 182  Peter Pan recorded a 25% increase in ridership after moving to the terminal.[50] By early 2000, the terminal served 12,000 daily riders.[51] In 2005, its six pay phones were the busiest in the city.[52]

In August 2000, a state audit found that change orders added $14.7 million to the original $81.4 million construction cost of the terminal. It also noted that when the MBTA cancelled plans for a moving walkway between the bus terminal and rail station, the agency settled for $1.4 million – substantially less than the $6.6 million estimated cost.[53]

When opened, the ramps to the bus and parking decks connected only to Kneeland Street. They were reconfigured by the Big Dig project as part of the South Bay Interchange. A direct ramp from the eastbound Turnpike for buses and high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) opened in December 2003.[54] An elevated connector road between the terminal and Albany Street replaced the Kneeland Street ramps in 2005. It included direct bus/HOV ramps to southbound I-93 and the eastbound Turnpike, and from northbound I-93 and the westbound Turnpike, which opened in stages over the second half of the year.[55]

The set of companies using the terminal has changed over time. Massport-managed Logan Dart service ran between the terminal and Logan International Airport from November 2000 to November 2001.[56][57] Concord Coach subsidiaries Dartmouth Coach and Boston Express began service to the terminal in 2000 and 2007.[2]: 128, 132 [58] DATTCO took over American Eagle (successor to Medeiros) service in 2004.[2]: 159  That year, Chinatown bus lines Lucky Star/Travel Pack and Fung Wah Bus Transportation switched from curbside stops in nearby Chinatown to South Station at the insistence of city officials.[59][60] The city has required operators to use the terminal; in 2007, Vamoose Bus was not permitted to use curbside stops in Copley Square instead.[61]

Low-cost carriers BoltBus and Megabus began using the terminal in 2008.[62][63] Fung Wah was shut down by federal regulators in 2013 due to safety issues; its berth at South Station was redistributed to another operator. Its planned return to operation in 2015 was cancelled because the company could not obtain a new berth at the terminal.[64][65] BoltBus ended all service in July 2021.[66] Capebus used the terminal from July 2021 to early 2022.[14] FlixBus began service to the terminal in April 2022 and took over Lucky Star service to Boston that November.[67][68] DATTCO ended year-round service to Boston in 2023 but began operating seasonal service in 2024.[2]: 161 [69]

The terminal is being expanded as part of the South Station Tower project.[70]

References

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  1. ^ "2025 System Map". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Humphrey, Thomas J. (November 2023). A History of Boston’s Regional, Intercity, and Interstate Bus Lines (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  3. ^ "B&W's New Union Bus Terminal [advertisement]". The Boston Globe. December 19, 1946. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Continental Trailways bus service is operating normally from Trailways Park Square terminal [advertisement]". The Boston Globe. March 1, 1970. p. 69 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Haynes, Walter (October 2, 1977). "It's fascinating and funny at Boston's bus terminals". The Boston Globe. pp. 25, 27 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Yudis, Anthony J. (September 24, 1987). "Greyhound terminal to be sold for $23m". The Boston Globe. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ King, John (May 23, 1989). "New owner, financing for Greyhound station". The Boston Globe. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "S. Station face-lift under way". The Berkshire Eagle. October 18, 1975. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b
  10. ^ Transportation Map, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Summer 1976 – via Wikimedia Commons
  11. ^
  12. ^
  13. ^ "Trailways dedicates terminal". The Boston Globe. November 8, 1980. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  15. ^ Rosenberg, Ronald (March 3, 1990). "Bus strike leaves travelers stranded". The Boston Globe. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^
  17. ^ "Greyhound moving its terminal". The Boston Globe. November 6, 1992. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Hohler, Bob (January 23, 1993). "South Station concerns arrive by bus". The Boston Globe. pp. 19, 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Plotkin, A.S. (July 3, 1958). "Bus Depot for South Station?". The Boston Globe. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Keblinsky, Joseph A. (December 31, 1958). "Railroads May Abandon So. Station". The Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Keblinsky, Joseph A. (January 1, 1959). "Foley Hits So. Station Garage Plan". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "State Sets Tax Relief Plan For New Haven Railroad". The Berkshire Eagle. UPI. February 21, 1961. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "So. Station Garage Eyed". The Boston Globe. December 30, 1964. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Keblinsky, Joseph A. (March 14, 1965). "Why Mayor Collins Exploded". The Boston Globe. p. 4-A – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Keblinsky, Joseph A. (April 11, 1965). "Mayor Sets Trap Play For Stadium Authority". The Boston Globe. p. 4-A – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Hanlon, Robert (August 12, 1965). "$50 Million South Station Plan Set". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "BRA Buys South Station For $6,950,000". The Boston Globe. December 31, 1965. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Yudis, Anthony J. (June 4, 1967). "12 Months Later: South Station Plan Stalled Off Main Track". The Boston Globe. p. A-3 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Port Authority, city sign development pact". The Boston Globe. January 20, 1970. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Yudis, Anthony J. (September 19, 1970). "South Station plan in danger". The Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Yudis, Anthony J. (December 15, 1974). "South Station eagle may retain his perch". The Boston Globe. p. A-47 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "White to air S. Station plan". The Boston Globe. October 6, 1977. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Yudis, Anthony J. (May 21, 1978). "South Station bus terminal hopes grow". The Boston Globe. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Yudis, Anthony J. (May 4, 1979). "MBTA approved as South Station developer". The Boston Globe. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "MBTA gets S. Station transit land". The Boston Globe. August 12, 1979. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Federal Railroad Administration (November 18, 1980). "Public Notice: Proposed Improvements to South Station". The Boston Globe. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Final Environmental Impact Statement and 4(f) Statement: South Station Improvement Project. Federal Railroad Administration. June 15, 1981. p. i.
  38. ^ "T gets $14m to build South Station bus terminal". The Boston Globe. August 12, 1982. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Crocket, Douglas S. (June 10, 1984). "Ground broken for South Station center". The Boston Globe. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Ackerman, Jerry (November 4, 1989). "Glory days: South Station ready to rise". The Boston Globe. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Dukakis signs transportation bill". North Adams Transcript. AP. April 7, 1988. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ a b Ackerman, Jerry (January 19, 1989). "MBTA picks architect for South Station terminal". The Boston Globe. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ a b Rosenberg, Ronald (December 10, 1990). "Building for buses at South Station". The Boston Globe. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ Howe, Peter J. (August 22, 1988). "Plan to develop South Station hits $35m snag". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ Blake, Andrew (March 7, 1992). "New transit chief comes home to kick off South Station project". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency (October 4, 1994). "Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Massachusetts—Amendment to Massachusetts' SIP (for Ozone and for Carbon Monoxide) for Transit Systems Improvements and High Occupancy Vehicle Facilities in the Metropolitan Boston Air Pollution Control District)". Federal Register. 59 FR 50498.
  47. ^ Studley, Shay (August 13, 1992). "MBTA gives final approval to $81m South Station bus terminal". The Boston Globe. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ "Perini to build new bus terminal". The Boston Globe. September 4, 1992. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ Palmer, Thomas C. Jr. (October 28, 1995). "Shiny new terminal holds fewer buses". The Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ Kelly, Ray (January 25, 1998). "Bus line prospers with new services". The Republican. p. G32 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ Watson, Jamal E. (January 18, 2000). "Bus business is booming too much for South Station". The Boston Globe. pp. A1, A20 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ Diaz, Johnny (May 15, 2005). "Hanging on by a wire". Boston Globe City Weekly. pp. 1, 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ^ Augstums, Ieva (August 9, 2000). "Audit ID's $20m in cost overruns at S. Station complex". The Boston Globe. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ^ Daniel, Mac (November 30, 2003). "Turnpike offers a fast lane to holiday giving". The Boston Globe. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  55. ^
  56. ^ "Bus service begins between South Station Logan Airport". The Boston Globe. November 14, 2000. p. C17 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ Palmer, Thomas C. Jr. (October 14, 2001). "Bus service scaled back following cuts". The Boston Globe. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  58. ^ Long, Tom (January 21, 2007). "Wheels, but no rail, for commuters". The Boston Globe. p. NW 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  59. ^ Gross, Courtney (January 23, 2005). "Loyal riders now moved to choose". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009.
  60. ^ Steinberg, Avi (September 26, 2004). "Fung Wah goes uptown, and business down". Boston Globe City Weekly. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  61. ^ Wong, Nicole C. (October 31, 2007). "Bus line's plan runs awry of cities' rules". The Boston Globe. pp. A13, A15 – via Newspapers.com.
  62. ^ Wong, Nicole C. (March 20, 2008). "MegaBus joins carriers offering cheap NYC trips". The Boston Globe. pp. E1, E5 – via Newspapers.com.
  63. ^ Wong, Nicole C. (April 1, 2008). "BoltBus to launch Boston to N.Y. service on April 24". The Boston Globe. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  64. ^ Clauss, Kyle Scott (July 16, 2015). "Fung Wah Is Never, Ever, Ever Coming Back". Boston Magazine.
  65. ^ Cush, Andy (July 16, 2015). "Pour One Out for Fung Wah Bus, Which May Never Return to the Road". Gawker. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015.
  66. ^ Kiley, Brendan (July 1, 2021). "RIP, BoltBus — the affordable, trendy bus company has discontinued service; Greyhound will take over its routes". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021.
  67. ^ "FlixBus launches South Station Boston stop for easy intercity travel on Northeast Corridor" (Press release). FlixBus. April 28, 2022.
  68. ^ "Lucky Star Buses joins FlixBus network to expand Boston-New York City service" (Press release). FlixBus. November 15, 2022.
  69. ^ "Discover Newport and DATTCO provide bus service between Boston & Newport" (Press release). DATTCO. June 6, 2024.
  70. ^ "Gemdale Properties & Investment and Hines Partner on Transformational Boston Development". Hines.com. May 13, 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
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