Customers waiting in ‘appalling’ conditions at new Greyhound location
Greyhound customers have voiced concerns to Knoxville Police Department personnel, according to Officer Scott Erland.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Greyhound Lines, a well-known intercity bus service, has moved its pick up location for riders in Knoxville. The longtime terminal located north of the Old City has moved to the Marathon gas station and convenience store on North Cherry Street.
Buses started service at the East Knoxville store on Monday, according to Crystal Booker, a senior communications specialist at Greyhound.
Greyhound can confirm the relocation of its Knoxville location from 100 E Magnolia Avenue to 1324 N Cherry St. Service officially began on April 18th. The new stop is a self-service location with ticket purchases available on Greyhound.com, through Greyhound’s mobile app, or by dialing 1-800-231-2222.
Passengers are dropped off in the parking lot and those waiting for their bus have to wait inside the store, which does not have an indoor waiting area.
“It’s appalling. I really don’t feel safe for him being down here in this location, but there’s no shelter there’s no nothing. Thank goodness it’s bright and 60 degrees out today,” Michael Neidagh, a Kentucky resident who dropped off a friend, said.
Greyhound customers have voiced concerns to Knoxville Police Department personnel, according to Officer Scott Erland. He told WVLT News that most people are upset because there are no facilities for extended stops.
We have been made aware of the concerns regarding the new self-service Greyhound location on Cherry Street. I am not sure what complaints you have heard specifically, but the primary concern we have heard is that based on the bus schedules passengers are left waiting for extended periods of time, even overnight, with no facilities, protection from the weather or security from possible threats.
Erland also noted that KPD officers will be keeping an eye on the new location and will be assisting passengers left waiting for long periods as needed.
The company did not directly respond to WVLT News’ questions regarding a lack of shelter for its customers or why it relocated, but said Greyhound “stops at a range of locations across its extensive network. Similar to the rest of the intercity bus industry, some of these stops include convenience stores, gas stations and restaurants. While Greyhound was not the owner of its previous location, we did a thorough review of our business in Knoxville and decided to transition to the aforementioned industry-wide model so that we could continue to provide this essential service to this community.”
Copyright 2022 WVLT. All rights reserved.
