Bus line seeks new stop location, agent

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

GRANTS — The Greyhound Bus stop moved so quietly that it almost went unnoticed.

At first it was on Santa Fe Avenue, the main street in Grants, but then the stop moved to an old pet store on High Street, and that upset some of the nearby neighbors.

Now, buses pick up passengers and drop them off at the McDonald's Restaurant on Santa Fe Avenue in Grants, but Kim Plaskett, a Greyhound Bus Lines spokesperson said the arrangement is just temporary at best.

"The pet store location was not close to a highway and it just wasn't convenient for our passengers," said Plaskett, who works at the company headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Plaskett said the High Street bus stop was an agency arrangement. It was not one of the 84 company-operated bus terminals. "Our agent-agreements are done on a month-to-month basis," Plaskett said. "We informed this agent that we would be seeking another location last November."

The McDonald's Restaurant location is just a place where buses drop people off and pick them up. No tickets are sold at McDonald's Restaurant. "People can buy tickets through the mail or by the internet," Plaskett said.

Greyhound has not yet found another agent or location. The location must meet certain standards, Plaskett said. It must be close to the interstate, but still convenient for the customers, Plaskett said, adding that the agent must be willing to sell bus tickets. "We also look for certain amenities, such as food service, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms, and the building must be in an area which can support heavy traffic and have easy access to the building and from the building," Plaskett said.

Most agency buildings are existing businesses already. "In other words, the Greyhound business would be secondary to the other business," Plaskett said. "Ideally, our agencies are located in convenience stores, truck stops and businesses like that which already generate a good income."

Plaskett said it is not an absolute requirement that the bus stop have food service. "It would be nice, though, for the agent and for the customers," Plaskett said.

Grants and Milan are on the St. Louis, Mo., to Los Angeles, Calif., route.

Plaskett said four buses a day, seven days each week, come through Cibola County. Two are headed east and two are going west.

"If anyone might be interested in starting up an agency, please call 972-789-7000," Plaskett said.

Greyhound Lines Inc., was founded in 1914 in Minnesota as a mining transportation enterprise. Greyhound today carries some 22 million passengers each year and operates in the United States, Mexico and Canada.