TAMPA, Fla. — It's not what the people taking a Greyhound are expecting — riders left waiting under an overpass in a parking lot.
ABC Action News was at the parking lot below the overpass Wednesday when we met Monalisa. She decided to take a bus to Key West to visit her nephew. An $89 ticket to her nephew she hadn't seen in five years.
"An airline ticket was like $400. So I said shoot, I'll just take a bus," she said.
She said she now regrets that decision.
"There was no Greyhound in Spring Hill. And then we had to drive like 40 minutes to where this bus was at a Circle K," she said.
Her next stop, Tampa. Yet again, no bus station; instead a parking lot under an Interstate overpass.
"I'm stranded and my telephone's not working for some reason," she said.
Minutes after stepping off the bus, she watched someone get handcuffed just inches away.
Worried travelers then crowded the bus driver, trying to get answers.
"I have no idea what bus to get on. I mean, he's dropping us off in the middle of nowhere. And all these people are sitting around saying, 'What bus do I get on? Does another bus come up and get me?'" she asked.
It's a story we've heard numerous times. We broke the story Wednesday after several calls into our tip-line.
Greyhound representatives tell us since Jan. 31, Greyhound has operated from the designated area approved by the city, while a ticket agent operates a block away.
Their statement reads in part:
As of 1/31/23, Greyhound now operates from 1401 Marion Avenue in the designated area approved by the city of Tampa. We also have a ticket agent at 1302 Marion Street, which is a block away from the stop.
We watched numerous travelers walk past the ticket booth, clearly confused.
"That's absolutely insane. The same place you get a hot dog and breakfast, you get your Greyhound bus tickets," said Marvin Warren.
Shock set in as Warren realized it doubles as a cafe stand.
"It used to be back in the day that you could go into a bus station, get your ticket, you had somewhere to sit and you felt safe. Now I gotta go out there bridge with nowhere to sit?"
We had an interview set up with Greyhound's local supervisor Thursday morning. It was canceled when the woman we were supposed to interview said she isn't allowed to speak to us. In a statement, Greyhound explains the new location:
As an industry standard, bus operators conduct service from a unique mix of locations including owned stations, transit centers, gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, community landmarks and more.
When asked if they had plans to relocate or install security measures like cameras or a security guard, they responded, "That's all the information I can share at this time."
We also reached out to the city, who said in a statement:
The City of Tampa is currently looking into the concerns addressed in this story, reviewing the voicemails sent to your tip line, and is reaching out to Greyhound.
As we continue to push for answers, others are saying never again.
"I don't think that we'll be taking the bus again after this," said Warren.
