Inter City Bus Operations

NLNA & NLBID Oppose City's Proposal to Keep Bus Ops in Northern Liberties for 7 to 10 Years, Testified Before City Council

On Wednesday, May 21, representatives from the NLNA & NLBID were invited to testify before City Council on the community impact of bus operations on Spring Garden Street. 

They were among ten panels composed of industry experts, academics, stakeholders and the bus companies themselves, all with a common view - Philadelphia's intercity bus operations do not belong on Spring Garden Street. More details about the hearing, including the Peter Pan CEO's offer to purchase the Roundhouse and turn it into a bus terminal, can be found here. 

The NLNA & NLBID's testimonies echoed themes found in recent letters to Councilmember Squilla from both organizations - bus operations on Spring Garden Street are a safety hazard for pedestrians and bicyclists and create an untenable burden of noise, air pollution and trash on our community. 

The NLNA voted last week to oppose putting a bus terminal anywhere that imposes these conditions on our residents and business owners, or that is dependent upon an eminent domain seizure by PennDOT. 

The City has proposed keeping bus operations in Northern Liberties for the next 7-10 years. This plan includes a lease at 79-99 Spring Garden St. (the parking lot next to Lukoil) from PennDOT, who are in the process of taking it by eminent domain to use as I-95 staging. 

If this plan is successful, half of the lot will be a bus station, and the other half a dump for up to a decade. 

The NLNA will fight this seizure from PennDOT as we fight against a bus station in this location. 

We will keep you informed of developments on both fronts, and will host a community meeting to provide a space for you to share your feedback with City officials soon. 

You can find the NLNA's letter to Councilmember Squilla here. 

The NLBID's letter is here.