Representatives from Greyhound Bus Lines and the Illinois Department of Transportation were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Danville Thursday. Such ceremonies usually mark the beginning of something, but Greyhound service to Danville’s downtown terminal started nine months ago.
Lori Buzzerio, Government Program Manager for Greyhound, was asked how things are going…
{”It’s new and it’s growing, so we’re pleased to be here. We’re happy to serve the community, and hopefully the word will get out and we’ll have a good turnout.”}
Danville Mass Transit Director Lisa Beith says ridership has been slowly rising…
{”Greyhound kind of told us give it a year and then we’ll start looking at numbers, because we don’t want to get discouraged. Any new route is going to take some time. So I think we’ll start reviewing numbers after the first of the year,” said Beith during an interview with VermilionCountyFirst.com News.
It’s going to be awhile, but Beith expects that once Danville’s new casino opens it will impact ridership…
{”I would imagine that the casino would have a big impact on those numbers with people coming from other parts of the state,” said Beith. ”And I’ve just been told that I should reach out to the prison because a lot of times they put the prisoners (who have been released out) with a Greyhound ticket and send them to where they need to go. So that’s another potential for some ridership.”}
Greyhound drivers say they like the Richard Brazda Bus Terminal in downtown Danville. They say it is easy to maneuver in and out of the terminal.
