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Wichita Bus Station

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Wichita Bus Station
The 1947 station in 2006
General information
Location214 S. Topeka Ave., Wichita, Kansas
Coordinates37°41′05″N 97°20′01″W / 37.684647°N 97.333617°W / 37.684647; -97.333617
OperatorWichita Transit
Bus stands19
Bus operatorsGreyhound Lines Greyhound Lines
Bus interchange Beeline Express
ConnectionsBus interchange Wichita Transit
Other information
WebsiteOfficial website
History
OpenedNovember 21, 1947 (1947-11-21)
RebuiltJuly 28, 1993 (1993-07-28)
Location
Map

The Wichita Bus Station is an intercity bus station situated in downtown Wichita, Kansas. The station, managed by Greyhound Lines, also serves the Beeline Express. The current bus station was formerly the local transit center and since 2026 is only used for intercity buses.

Wichita has seen intercity bus transit since at least 1925, when a union bus depot opened at 216 East 1st Street.[1] Later stations included a Union Bus Depot at 120 South Broadway and a Santa Fe Trailways depot at 312 South Broadway, which would serve Greyhound until 2017, when bus services moved to the present location.[2]

Attributes

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The Greyhound station building sits at the southeast corner of East William Street and South Topeka Avenue in downtown Wichita. The main entrance is located on South Topeka Avenue. The bus station is owned by Wichita Transit, but only serves Greyhound Lines and Beeline Express.

History

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Early stations

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The first bus station in Wichita opened April 20, 1925 at 216 East 1st Street.[1] The depot was owned and operated by Southern Kansas Stage Line Inc. The company had seen great success opening the first bus station in the state in Wellington, and wished to emulate that in Wichita.[1] The depot was a remodeled in-a-door bed company and included an on-site filling station. On May 1st, buses no longer made any stops at hotels and 26 buses departed daily.[3]

However, this station would soon be outgrown, and a new union station was planned for the corner of South Broadway and East William. The new station opened December 12, 1934 with music, dancing and entertainment to celebrate. This location, at 120 South Broadway, originally served Santa Fe Trail System, Southern Kansas Stage Lines, and Cardinal Stage Lines.[4] In 1939, this depot saw over 100 daily departures.[5]

Within 13 years this depot too would be replaced. Santa Fe Trailways commissioned a new depot at 314 South Broadway that would be three times as large at a cost of $300,000.[6] Construction was undertaken by A.W. Soderberg Construction with a grand opening on November 21, 1947.[7] The Wichita Eagle claimed it was one of the finest in the country, and one of the few with separate bays for incoming and outgoing buses. At 12 bus bays, the depot held almost twice as many as the previous. On the outside, the depot used cream-colored brick and structural glass to create a modernistic feel. A large neon winged insignia sign indicated the station's presence to travelers.[7]

The inside was similarly impressive, with brown and ivory tile and terrazzo floors. A chicken restaurant, PA system and air conditioning made for a comfortable experience. Three ticket windows served the passengers to 106 daily scheduled buses.[7]

Current station

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Greyhound took over this station when it absorbed Continental Trailways in 1987.[8] By the 2010s, the cost of maintaining the Santa Fe Trailways depot at 312 S. Broadway was becoming too much for Greyhound. In 2017, Greyhound relocated to Wichita Transit's transit center two blocks to the northeast at 214 S. Topeka. Greyhound's lease was $24,000 annually for 10 years plus a quarter of utilities.[2] In 2026, Wichita Transit relocated to a new transit center, leaving intercity buses as the sole occupants of the 1993 transit center.[9]

After standing vacant for three years, the Santa Fe Trailways depot was purchased by SPT Architecture to serve as offices. The depot was restored and reopened in 2021 with the former bus bays being converted to covered parking.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Union Bus Depot Opens Monday at 216 East First". The Wichita Eagle. April 19, 1925. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Kelsey Ryan (January 1, 2016). "Greyhound moving station downtown". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Union Bus Depot Inter-City Schedule". The Wichita Eagle. May 1, 1925. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Union Bus Depot Formal Opening". The Wichita Eagle. December 9, 1934. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Santa Fe Trailways ad". The Wichita Eagle. December 20, 1939. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Santa Fe Trailways Dedicate New Depot in Ceremonies Here". The Wichita Eagle. November 22, 1947. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "New Santa Fe Bus Station Opening is to be Held Friday". The Wichita Eagle. November 16, 1947. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Classic Bus Stations". Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  9. ↑ Maya Daniels (June 5, 2026). "Wichita's new transit center, The Hub, opening in Delano". KWCH. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  10. ↑ Carrie Rengers (July 24, 2020). "SPT Architecture to renovate former Greyhound bus station". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
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