South Station Bus Terminal

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.[8][9] The facility is immediately south-southwest of the main MBTA/Amtrak South Station terminal, and is located above the station platforms and tracks.

South Station Bus Terminal
Main entrance on Atlantic Avenue, Boston
Location700 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
United States of America
Coordinates42.3500°N 71.0558°W / 42.3500; -71.0558
Owned byMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Platforms26 bus bays (departure)
Bus operatorsBoltBus[1]
Boston Express[2]
C&J Bus Lines[3]
Concord Coach[4]
DATTCO[5]
Greyhound[6]
Megabus
Peter Pan Bus Lines
Plymouth & Brockton [7]
Connections MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak at South Station
Red Line, Silver Line at subway station
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesNo
Disabled accessYes
History
Opened1995
Passengers
1,000,000+

History

The building, completed in 1995, serves as a nexus to consolidate several intercity coach bus locations serving Boston into a single central location. This shift facilitated the removal of the main coach bus terminal at the heart of Dewey Square, a shift from the former Greyhound coach Bus terminal at 10 St. James Avenue in the Back Bay area, and the transferral of various curbside Chinatown bus lines into this one facility. Continental Trailways service also previously operated from a terminal in the Back Bay, until sometime in the 1980s.

A second phase of construction, to expand the coach bus terminal, is proposed as part of the South Station Tower project.[10]

Facilities
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 bar; two fast-food outlets: D'Angelos and McDonald's (note that the McCafe is a separate counter); a number of payphones; free 15-minute public parking on the roof,[11] 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, pay phones
  • Floor 4: offices, conference room
  • Floor 5: 15-minute free parking (parking entrance from Kneeland Street)

Bus lines serving the terminal
Southward-looking aerial view of highway and railway approaches, with the bus terminal roof parking visible at lower left
Bus terminal on Atlantic Avenue, viewed looking southeast. The entire structure is elevated above multiple railway tracks.

Unless otherwise indicated, all destinations are in Massachusetts.

BoltBus[1]
Boston Express[2]
C&J Bus Lines[3]
Concord Coach Lines[4]
DATTCO[5][12]
  • University of Massachusetts Dartmouth,[note 1] Fairhaven, New Bedford, Taunton
Greyhound Lines[6]
  • Portsmouth (New Hampshire), Portland, Brunswick, Lewiston, Augusta, Waterville, Bangor (all other destinations are in Maine)
  • White River Junction, Burlington, Montreal (Canada) (first two intermediate stops are in Vermont)
  • Framingham and New York City (Port Authority Bus Terminal)
  • Worcester and New York City (Port Authority Bus Terminal)
  • Worcester, Springfield, Albany NY, Schenectady NY, Utica NY, Syracuse NY, Rochester NY, Buffalo NY, Erie PA, and Cleveland, OH
  • Worcester MA, Albany, Cobleskill, Oneonta, and Binghamton (all other destinations are in New York State, service west of Albany operated by Trailways using the same bus.)
  • Providence, Foxwoods Casino, Mohegan Sun Casino, New London, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, White Plains, New York Port Authority
  • Atlantic City (New Jersey)
Lucky Star
Megabus
Peter Pan Bus Lines
Plymouth & Brockton[7]
  • Rockland, Plymouth, Sagamore, Barnstable (Rt. 132), and Hyannis
  • Rockland, Plymouth, Sagamore, Barnstable (Rt. 132), Hyannis, Harwich, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown
  • Rockland, Marshfield, and Duxbury
  • Logan Airport
  • Park Square (in Boston)

See also

References
  1. BoltBus @ South Station
  2. Boston Express @ South Station
  3. C&J @ South Station
  4. Concord Coach @ South Station
  5. DATTCO @ South Station
  6. Greyhound @ South Station
  7. "Plymouth & Brockton Schedule" (PDF). Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  8. City of Boston website: Find my neighborhood
  9. Map of Neighborhoods of Boston
  10. "Gemdale Properties & Investment and Hines Partner on Transformational Boston Development". Hines.com. May 13, 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  11. South Station Bus Terminal / MBTA, LAZ Parking Limited
  12. "DATTCO Bus: UMassD to Boston". University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Retrieved 31 July 2020.

Notes
  1. Temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic
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