Greyhound & Autobuses Americanos | 7000 Harrisburg Blvd

[hindesky]

I just went by the old midtown station and magically all the vagrants disappeared. I did see several people walking on Harrisburg carrying all their stuff in backpacks and duffel bags, have to assume they were coming from the new station.

[samagon]

Please sit down to read this shocking news. 

https://abc13.com/greyhound-houston-transfer-magnolia-park-crime-increase-safety/14282030/

[JClark54]

I went to the Greyhound station meeting Saturday. It was a really who's who of local politicos as well as city and regional employees. Just a few, Adrain Garcia, Joaquin Martinez, Christina Morales, Ana Hernandez, sergeants from two constables offices, one HPD assistant chief, METRO police chief, a TDCJ public relations rep, and Carol Alvarado, among many others. Greyhound did not have a rep present for questions. 

A few takeaways: 

-Crime in the two-block radius of the new location has increased 2500 percent since it became the new station for intercity service as opposed to the months immediately before, during its role as a transit hub for buses from valley cities. Incident types most on the rise are theft from and burglary of businesses and homes as well as assualt/agg assault. Martinez has requested more HPD resources.

-Alvarado stated at least twice that Greyhound alerted Turner's office of the move in advance, and the mayor's office hid the move from then-District I council member Robert Gallegos. A letter was mentioned but not produced. Take this accusation for what it's worth. 

-An encampment has emerged. Smaller than Midtown's at this time, but growing. HOT outreach teams will be sent to the station regularly, like the Midtown Station. 

-TDCJ stated an average of eight TDCJ parolees arrive by bus daily. All must have an end-destination (halfway house, family member, friend, etc.), but TDCJ lacks the means or mechanisms to ensure those plans are carried through every time. 

As a property owner in Midtown, none of the above is surprising. The station outcomes and politico responses to them are identical to what occurred in Midtown. The following from TDCJ rep was new, however. 

-Parolees are given money, food, and bus passes upon disembarking from their respective locations. TDCJ rep stated as the encampment grew at Midtown, those folks targeted TDCJ parolees. Their TDCJ-emblazon gear made them easy to identify. They'd get jumped, and their money and food would be taken. Thus, with no means to reach their end destination, some integrated into the Midtown encampment population. 

-To alleviate the above situation, TDCJ tries to have reps at stations to guide parolees out safely. Staffing and funding limitations mean it doesn't happen every time. It's expected that Harrisburg Station will encounter the same phenomenon of folks jumping parolees unless more funding for reps to meet those upon arrival is made available. 

 

Edited January 9 by JClark54

[hbg.50]

Hopefully safety measures will be put in place while a light is being shined on the situation.  Shame on Turner if he knew about this in advance.  Of course Alvarado campaigned for Whitmire, so who knows.  When Greyhound was in Midtown it wasn't much of a neighborhood.  To deliberately put a bus depot in the middle of an established neighborhood is ridiculous.  I feel bad for the residents there.

[hindesky]

Build an HPD substation right next to it. 👮‍♂️

[JClark54]

The TDCJ public relations rep was surprisingly very open about its parolee transit procedures and figures. Some not necessarily Harrisburg Station-specific tidbits are: 

-On average, 3000-plus parolees are released in Texas annually. Those released to family, friends or other lodgings like halfway houses out of state are not included in this count. 

-40 percent of those parolees released in Texas take the Greyhound to designated release site cities. There are 17 of them, and Houston is one. 18 percent of that 40 percent transit to another destination via Greyhound. The remaining 82 percent disembark in Houston. 

-The reps (called reintegration specialists) responsible for the Houston area are from TDCJ Huntsville, so the drive is long and staffing levels are low. Release addresses (family, friends, halfway houses) are investigated prior to release, but again personnel aren't always there to ensure they reach the end destination. 

-Tickets are bought beforehand and parolees are shown how to navigate the station in the event a rep isn't there. This is the gap TDCJ can't close without more funding for reps, and provides the window for them to be jumped. 

 

 

Edited January 9 by JClark54

[JClark54]

*Sorry, looking back at what I wrote above, I wrote daily rather than per day. The sheet I photos stated an average of 8 released per day, when there are people eligible for parole. They don't release 8 folks daily, as in every day. 

[hindesky]

[hbg.50]

Dallas Greyhound station closing... will be interesting to see if it is replaced.   Wonder if Houston will get more traffic as a result?

DMN reporting...

Greyhound is closing its Dallas terminal, leaving low-income travelers in limbo

The downtown terminal, a travel hub for more than 40 years, will shutter in October. What’s next is unclear.

Twenty Lake Holdings, a subsidiary of investment firm Alden Global Capital, purchased 33 Greyhound stations across the US from UK-based First Group in late 2022 for $140 million. Since then, terminals in major hubs like Philadelphia and Cincinnati have shuttered while their properties have been put on the market.

[Houston19514]

10 hours ago, steve1363 said:

Dallas Greyhound station closing... will be interesting to see if it is replaced.   Wonder if Houston will get more traffic as a result?

DMN reporting...

Greyhound is closing its Dallas terminal, leaving low-income travelers in limbo

Of course it wil be replaced.

[JClark54]

58 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

Of course it wil be replaced.

That's not the case as of this date. 

[Houston19514]

7 hours ago, JClark54 said:

That's not the case as of this date. 

As of this date, and until October, they are still operating where they are.  The  chances of Greyhound not having a station in the Dallas are similar to the chances of the nation’s tallest building being built in Oklahoma City.

Edited January 28 by Houston19514

[JClark54]

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

As of this date, and until October, they are still operating where they are.  The  chances of Greyhound not having a station in the Dallas are similar to the chances of the nation’s tallest building being built in Oklahoma City.

You wrote, "Of course it will be replaced," rather than operating where they are. 

Greyhound told me this week it has yet to find a new Dallas station location, it is facing barriers doing so in Dallas, and it has yet to determine whether a curbside method would work in Dallas. 

Did I write it will leave Dallas in perpetuity? No, I must certainly did not. I wrote that's not the case as of this date in response to your of course it will be replaced statement based off Greyhound's statements about the situation in Dallas. 

I don't care to engage in these online arguments you seem to take enjoyment in. If you have information Greyhound does not, please contact them. I'm sure they would love the insight you provide. 

 

Edited January 28 by JClark54

[hbg.50]

10 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Of course it wil be replaced.

I know the DMN article is behind a paywall.  This CNN article is not…very interesting (at least to me).  All this Greyhound drama is not unique to Houston.  You are probably right that the Dallas station will be replaced.  It will likely end up in Arlington with much less access than the current station.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/17/business/greyhound-buses-transportation-cities/index.html

 

[JClark54]

11 hours ago, steve1363 said:

I know the DMN article is behind a paywall.  This CNN article is not…very interesting (at least to me).  All this Greyhound drama is not unique to Houston.  You are probably right that the Dallas station will be replaced.  It will likely end up in Arlington with much less access than the current station.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/17/business/greyhound-buses-transportation-cities/index.html

 

The Greyhound rep stated suburbs or non-central locations aren't feasible for most cities. Take that for what it's worth. Operating costs outweigh the rider drop associated with the move, apparently. 

While some riders are dropped off by family or friends, most arrive by ride share or public transit. The costs of ride share to the suburbs can be cost prohibitive to those riders, and in some cases public transit to the suburbs is minimally available outside of park and ride hours, they said. 

Greyhound has committed to another meeting in the future. Since you're interested, I'll let you know when everything is firm. You can ask the Greyhound/FlixBus rep questions in greater detail. 

 

 

Edited January 28 by JClark54

[Houston19514]

On 1/27/2024 at 9:03 PM, JClark54 said:

You wrote, "Of course it will be replaced," rather than operating where they are. 

Greyhound told me this week it has yet to find a new Dallas station location, it is facing barriers doing so in Dallas, and it has yet to determine whether a curbside method would work in Dallas. 

Did I write it will leave Dallas in perpetuity? No, I must certainly did not. I wrote that's not the case as of this date in response to your of course it will be replaced statement based off Greyhound's statements about the situation in Dallas. 

I don't care to engage in these online arguments you seem to take enjoyment in. If you have information Greyhound does not, please contact them. I'm sure they would love the insight you provide. 

 

I’ve said Greyhound will replace their Dallas station.  You’ve now told us Greyhound is in fact working on replacing the station.  Thanks for the confirmation.

Edited January 29 by Houston19514