Greyhound postpones stop relocation in Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Hold your horses — or make that Greyhounds — when it comes to boarding out-of-town buses in a new spot.Greyhound previously announced, by Friday, it would drop off and pick up passengers at the Amtrak station on North Depot Street. Passengers can expect four stops a day seven days a week.But, due to some scheduling complications and technological challenges, Greyhound will continue serving passengers at its existing Sandusky-area stop — the Friendship Food Store, by McDonald's, on Tiffin Avenue (Ohio 101) at Ohio 2 — for at least another month.A Greyhound spokesman said the stop switch won't occur until April 1 at the earliest.Motivation for the moveWhen Greyhound does relocate its Sandusky stop, it will create a major transportation hub in Sandusky. At 1230 N. Depot St., people can board a train or a bus: be it out of town, on Greyhound, or around Erie County, via Sandusky Transit."This will make connecting throughout our area easier for city residents as well as visitors by having Amtrak, Greyhound and STS all using the same facility to pick up and drop off passengers," city manager Eric Wobser said. "For those who rely on public transportation, for both short- and long-term trips, this is an incredible added convenience."A common complaint officials often heard from Greyhound passengers coming into Sandusky: After getting dropped off, they're left in an isolated area, about 6 miles from Washington Park in downtown. Without arranging for other means of transportation, such as a friend's car or a taxi, they're left stranded.Moving the stop, now 1.5 miles from Washington Park, allows people to hop aboard a transit bus, where they can access dozens of destinations."The main goal for bringing Greyhound to Sandusky is to get riders closer to downtown as well as Cedar Point and the hotels," said Nicole DeFreitas, the city's transit administrator, who brokered the deal. "We are pleased to offer the multimodal connectivity of Greyhound, Amtrak and local bus service all out of one location based in the city. The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, and the enhanced service will be a tremendous asset not only for our residents but our visitors as well."Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.A Greyhound bus makes a stop at the Sandusky Transit station at 1230 N. Depot St. in Sandusky. By April 1, Sandusky's Greyhound bus stop moves from Tiffin Avenue (Ohio 101) near Ohio 2 to North Depot Street, where the Amtrak station is located.