Operations to decrease at troubled Columbus Greyhound bus terminal
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Greyhound bus terminal on Wilson Road near I-70 will soon cut services in accordance with an agreement with the city of Columbus.
The bus terminal operated by Baron's Buses was deemed a nuisance property by City Attorney Zach Klein. They came to an agreement to decrease the services offered, increase security, and ensure working bathroom facilities on the site.
The site was deemed a nuisance after the number of calls for service from police jumped in the months following the bus terminal's opening. A man was shot and killed there, along with multiple calls for fighting and other violence, including a security guard having their ear bitten off.
Residents in the nearby neighborhoods feared for their children and families after the terminal opened.
"It's just bad. You know, you have got to make sure your doors are locked every night. Alarm set noises in the middle of the night. You're like, okay, what is that ring camera goes off, I grab my phone. You don't get to sleep all night long," explained longtime resident John Fleshman.
He shared surveillance footage with NBC4 showing strangers approaching his home, trying to steal things from his vehicles, and even putting on neon vests to pose as workers before knocking on the door.
"People in the middle of the night walking around. You're looking in your cars prowling, and it's just been it's been terrible, to do this. And anyone that has children, you don't dare open the door or out back or any activity, because at any time, you don't know who's going to come through your back gate or, come down the street," he said.
Fellow resident of a nearby neighborhood Zachary Whitt has been trying to get the terminal closed since it opened.
"A lot of sleepless nights, especially early on. A lot of crime there. Completely upended the neighborhood when I first moved in. A lot of fighting back and forth between the city and the, the companies and the neighbors and everything, trying to get, you know, something to happen," Whitt explained.
Whitt and Fleshman cite violence and theft in homes just yards from the station as reason for getting the city involved.
"A little over a year ago now or somebody was shot and killed right here. And he proceeded to walk right over next door and knock on, neighbor's door and then try to Jimmy his way into their car that was parked in the driveway. So, you know, we're thrilled to not have to be able to worry about things like that anymore," Whitt said.
Fleshman said he's dealt with numerous "would be criminals" at his home since the bus terminal opened.
"He didn't see me. He comes up the driveway, pull on his suitcase and, looks on the driver's side, passenger side, and I'm in the middle hitting, and he comes all the way up to the passenger door. I step out, say, sir, can I help you? Oh, I'm looking for my cell phone. I dropped my cell phone somewhere around here. No you weren't. You're going to break my window and steal my car," he explained.
On other occasions, he has confronted people "setting up camp" in his back yard while they wait for a bus.
"It's very uneasy feeling. It's like, when is the other shoe going to drop? Is today the day that someone's just kind of kicked the door in? Is this today that, you know, someone's going to steal your car, or if you, your back is you want to keep your back against the wall. If you're working in your yard and you're looking, people will approach you and ask you for money, you know, are they going to rob you?" he said.
Whitt is still concerned with the number of travelers that will be in the area since the city will allow "transfer service" on buses at the Wilson Road terminal.
"The true victory would have them gone outright. They've been granted a, a little bit of an exception where they're allowed to continue running a transfer service through here. As I understand it, that means that passengers might be waiting for up to two hours between when they're drop off. Whether or not it's going to completely fix all the problems is definitely something we need to wait and see. But, I know for myself anyways, I'm very optimistic about, the developments and looking forward to seeing how the rest of it plays out," Whitt explained.
Both Whitt and Fleshman commended the city and media for bringing attention to the issue.
"The first ones to really step up was the building and zoning department. City attorney's office, I think stepped in around 2 or 3 months thereafter," said Whitt.
He also credits everyone in the neighborhoods surrounding the terminal for having each other's back.
"Everybody has been super vigilant. You know, a lot of time in, And. Yeah, to have a resolution here approaching. It's extremely exciting. We're going to be able to sleep a lot better at night," he explained.