Bus Depot at Union Station

Union Station in DC is building a new bus terminal for the numerous buses specializing in short trips between major east coast cities.

I have only taken a bus to New York, one time. I agree with the post article that one of the biggest advantages of a terminal is it will avoid the confusion and congestion caused by having buses pick up passengers on the street. The confusing part is that buses have to change pickup locations from time to time, when I took my trip the Megabus website said the boarding location had recently moved.

Of course nothing is free, the depot will add a 75 cent surcharge to each ticket. Each company will also pay $30,000 per bus parking area. To me it seems worth it to have easier access to metro and the services at Union Station.

I had read but can't find it that some of the smaller bus companies might not move to the station because of the high fixed cost of a parking space.

I'm often skeptical of projects that help a particular business, but overall this one seems to pay for itself and provide some extra benefits.