Memorial Union to Remain Bus Terminal For Four More Years

Earlier this month I noticed several intercity buses parked in front of Memorial Union. I've not heard of any plans to construct a bus terminal and it appears that the Union will remain Madison's de facto terminal at least for the next few years.

Intercity buses will continue to pick up and offload passengers on Langdon Street for the next four years. However, the city is going to designate four bus stalls and then charge bus companies to use them to recoup lost parking meter fees. The bus lines have to opt into this plan so it's possible that one or more carriers will choose to find another location to service passengers.

I presume this is at least partly in response to the upcoming construction in the area. The Union is getting some remodeling done while work will be done on the utility tunnels that emanate from Science Hall. Concomitant to this the Historical Society's balustrade along Langdon will be repaired and an ADA-compliant entryway will also be installed at the same time.

But what happens after four years? Is the city actively engaged in planning for a bus terminal? Or looking at spreading out curbside loading points?

Tangentially, the BBC posted an article called "The American bus revival" yesterday about intercity buses rising from the ashes. Statements like this one make me doubt a bus terminal is in the works:

But the fact that they offer free wi-fi and pick up passengers on the kerbside - rather than bus terminals which are seen as dirty and intimidating - is also a factor, helping to make them popular with more affluent passengers and women travelling alone, according to the DePaul research.

The appeal of curbside pick-up and the likelihood that intercity passenger rail in Madison is dead for at least a generation greatly lessens the chances of some kind of intermodal station being built. The Union doesn't offer ticketing and isn't always open. I wonder if any other cities are faced with this situation.

Public transit planning consultant and blogger Jarrett Walker was quoted in the piece. He was here in Madison last year and I highly recommend his blog.