Bus Blog Erie: June 2022

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Erie Greyhound station update

The Greyhound station is still closed, though still served by Greyhound buses.. At least to the best of my knowledge, Greyhound has not communicated their plans in Erie, or if they have any plans to speak of.

Efforts to address situation

At June EMTA board meeting Dave Robinson EMTA (Community & Governmental Relations) said he was working on the issue with with City Council President Liz Allen, and City Councilwoman Jasmine Flores, city council liaison to EMTA.

Haven't heard if Visit Erie has been involved, but they should be. Not a good first experience for visitors or newcomers.

Change in status

The Greyhound site now describes the Erie stop as a "Curbside stop" and carries the message "Effective May 1, 2022 this location will no longer have local staff available. If you need to purchase a ticket via Credit Card or Cash, go to Greyhound.com" Here is the Greyhound Erie PA page. The page states that the stop is open 24 hours a day, which is a tad misleading.

Shelter, restrooms and safety

Several local people have suggested at least at this point the need for porta john and some sort of shelter for passengers waiting for buses. This was also discussed at last month's EMTA board meeting.

Also, it seems to me that if Greyhound has no intention of returning to the Intermodal Center, it would be worth considering moving the stop elsewhere. As pleasant as a bayside stop is in the warm weather, that will soon change. Also there might be other locales that could provide shelter, restrooms and safety ... all of which are problematic at the present location.

Customers also need to know how to buy tickets without having to go online. I see the info sheet inside the Intermodal door says you can buy tickets at: CVS, Family Dollar and Walmart (local stores) and others that are not available locally are 7-Eleven, Ace Cash Express, and Casey's. I also saw cash pay info on their website, but it flashed so quickly (literally a fraction of a second) that I had to video it to get a screenshot (see below). The cash pay information flashed after I clicked on "Buy Tickets" After some very specific searches I did find the info online here ... dated March 3 of his year, so I guess this move away from staffed locations goes beyond our local situation.

Backgrounder:

Greyhound bus ticket office closed in Erie; buses are still running

Greyhound's Erie PA page

Photos of building are from June 23, 2022 and July 5, 2022. Greyhound website screenshots from June 28, 2022. Click to enlarge

Editing notes:

Slightly edited for clarity 7/23/2022

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Current waiting area. Two benches, some rain protection, pay phone removed long ago.

Looking through window, east wall, signs still up

Looking through the locked doors from inside the west side of the building.

Information from website could be confusing. "Open 24 hours"?

Notice on Greyhound website

Company website offers where to buy tickets with CASH, but it literally flashes so fast (literally a fraction of a second) I had to video it to be able to get a screenshot.

Buses still arrive and depart but station now considered "curbside"

I am assuming it was EMTA who had to post these notices advising Greyhound's confused customers

One letter sized notice on back door. Tinted glass makes it hard to see, easy to miss

Not much of a welcome.

Monday, June 27, 2022

Presque Isle Express trip 6/24/2022

Took the Presque Isle Express bus (Route 33) this past Saturday. They are leaving from downtown this year, and running Fridays and Saturdays.

My nephew was biking around the park with his family and we arranged to meet up at the Waterworks/Cookhouse area. Very enjoyable visit.

Some information about this year's Presque Isle Express:

The bus leaves from downtown (7th & French, 10th & French).
It turns onto the Bayfront Parkway and heads west till it gets to Liberty Park shelter. This stop could be for people who might want to park their vehicles there and use a non-car alternative for the park; people staying at hotels, restaurants, or boaters; westside pedestrians, mobility devices and cyclists. Only trolley service you could take from there is Saturday starting at 5pm, so FYI to walkers and mobility device users. Liberty Park entrance is across from Cobblestone Hotel and west of Sloppy Duck Saloon
After it leaves Liberty Park it turns west onto West 8th.
It stops across the street from West Erie Plaza shelter
Heads west till Peninsula Drive.
Next stop is Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC). The info desk carries paper schedules for the PI Express, and maps of the park at the info desk. They also have indoor restrooms and beverage machines, and it's fun to walk around and look at the exhibits (admission is free)
Waldameer Park is across from the entrance to TREC. If you want to go to Waldameer with the PI Express, you need to get off at the TREC stop. The crossing to Waldameer has traffic lights, a crosswalk and signals, and newish curb cuts. (btw, you can also use 32, 31 and 30; check schedules for specifics and convenience)
The route is a single loop. If you want to continue past the Waterworks / Cookhouse area, just stay on the bus.
There are marked stops and I think they are only supposed to stop at those specific stops (but I'm not clear on that). It would be helpful if EMTA made a map of where those stops are. For the ones on the park it would be particularly helpful to know where they are, and how much distance there is between them.
The inbound trip just does the same route but going the other way.
Outside the park, I don't know if the bus would stop anywhere besides those designated stops. "Express" buses tend to have few stops so that they can get to their destination faster. Clarification needed.