Greg Willis was hot, tired and frustrated as he waited for a ride home in the parking lot of the Circle K at 3225 W. Nine Mile Road near Interstate 10. The 60-year-old Pensacola man had just spent most of the last 48 hours traveling on a Greyhound bus with a ticket to Tyler, Texas.
Only he never made it. He said the bus stopped in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he was supposed to take another bus to his destination. However, Willis said the bus was first delayed, then cancelled and he ended up spending 17 hours waiting outside in the scorching heat with no bathroom and no water because the Greyhound station was closed on Sundays.
He managed to get on a bus back to Pensacola, where the Greyhound line's drop off and pick up point is now a gas station near Beulah, and once again found himself waiting outside in the heat.
“I have a car, but I didn’t trust it for the trip,” Willis explained. “That’s why I took the bus. It’s supposed to be dependable, but it just turned into a nightmare.”
Pensacola’s longtime Greyhound bus station, at 505 W. Burgess Road, near Highway 29 in Car City permanently closed in mid-May and no longer serves as a drop off or pick up location for the bus line. The Circle K gas station is now where travelers catch or get off the bus.
According to a Greyhound spokesperson, "Greyhound buses stop at various locations across our extensive network. Similar to the rest of the intercity bus industry, some of these stops include convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants. Greyhound did not own the previous location – and when it closed, we worked with the local government and other partners in the area to find an alternative. Eventually, we secured our current location, transitioning to the common industry model, so we could continue providing this essential service to the Pensacola community.”
Deaundra Johnson took her two teenage daughters for a family trip to Houston, Texas and returned Monday morning. They sat on the one bench available outside the gas station, surrounded by their bags and luggage and huddled in the little shade they could find while they waited for a ride home.
Johnson said it was her first time taking a Greyhound, which she booked because her car needs to be repaired. She was surprised they had to get on and off the bus at gas stations.
“They had us in a vacant parking lot in the middle of the night in Houston, that was kind of scary,” said Johnson, “especially when you think about crime and human trafficking. “
Greyhound bus stations around the country have closed, but travelers say what makes it tough in Pensacola is that the Circle K that now serves as a depot isn’t easy to get to because there’s no public transportation to that particular area.
That’s one of the challenges facing Real Change Project Reconnect, a transportation and reunification program launched by Escambia County in partnership with the non-profit organization Ministry Village at Olive, which offers services to people who need help, including those who are homeless.
The pilot program launched early this year with $30,000 in funding from Escambia County. The money covers bus or plane tickets to people who don’t have the resources to return home if they wish, or to someplace safe where they have support. So far, 37 people have taken advantage of the program.
Ministry Village vets those who want to leave to ensure they qualify for the program, then helps coordinate their travel plans. Most take the bus, but the challenge lately has been getting them to the Circle K in Pensacola as well as finding a safe stop for them at their destination where a reliable friend or family member can pick them up.
The nonprofit is only reimbursed for the cost of the ticket, but outreach workers are driving people at all hours trying to make the bus, which are mostly scheduled for 10 p.m. at night or 10 a.m. in the morning. When the Greyhound bus depot was on Burgess Road, travelers could catch an Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) bus to take them there.
Now that’s not an option. ECAT doesn’t have a stop near the gas station, which is close to Beulah on the west side of Escambia County, north of the interstate.
“There's just no easy way for someone to get there,” explained Ministry Village Executive Director Drayton Smith. “Most of the buses run late or early in the morning. We've had folks miss the bus because of how late it is, or we've had people that they have to go out there and sit and that creates a problem with where the pickup and drop off place is because they don't want someone hanging out there for 10 hours a day.”
Smith said he believes the program is a success despite the challenges, and he’s hoping they can work with the county to address the issues. He said the number of people taking advantage of Project Reconnect has tapered off, in part due to awareness, but the feedback Smith said they’ve received so far has been good from both the community and the people who used it.
“We see that time and time again that people are so thankful and are so grateful for the opportunity,” said Smith. “It's doing a great thing. I believe per homeless person (in the community), the cost to the taxpayer is $33,000 a year, so it’s making a difference for all involved.”
You can find more information about Real Change Project Reconnect on Escambia County's website.
