RICHMOND, Va. — As Greyhound bus #769 pulls into the station in downtown Richmond on an overcast day in January, the driver directs passengers to step out and stretch their legs while the bus is cleaned and serviced.
“If you’re getting off here in Richmond, look around your seats as always,” operator Jordan says. “Make sure you gather all your personal belongings.”
The bus is not quite halfway through its 22-hour journey from the Port Authority in New York City to Atlanta.
But Vernon Pendergrass is changing buses here. He’s on his way from Maine to South Carolina for a family funeral, which means a 10-hour layover in Richmond.
“Yeah, I’m stuck here till 9 o’clock,” Pendergrass says with a rueful laugh. “Just my luck.”
The Richmond station has catered to passengers like Pendergrass for more than four decades, but its days are numbered. The station’s restaurant and video game room are already closed and dark. And soon the station itself may be as well.
The station sits on prime real estate in Virginia’s capital, just across Arthur Ashe Boulevard from a minor league baseball park where the Richmond Flying Squirrels play. Developers have filed plans to raze the bus station and replace it with two seven-story apartment towers and retail space, according to Richmond BizSense .