Drexel Wants to Kick Bolt, Megabus Off JFK Boulevard

Long before Kai the Homeless Alleged Murderer was apprehended at the dingy Greyhound Station in Center City, young commuters have preferred Bolt Bus and Megabus to the grey lady of crappy coach busses. But despite the preponderance of Drexel Dragons who use Mega and Bolt–which dock from JFK Boulevard, behind 30th St. Station–the university is not overly endeared with the busses’ presence.

Drexel owns the land on both the north and south sides of the block. It has big plans for the space, which is currently home to a parking lot and the former offices of newspaper The Philadelphia Bulletin, as part of an “Innovation Neighborhood” to include high-density mixed-use buildings. “As the Innovation Neighborhood takes shape, it is our concern that private bus operators’ current location on JFK Boulevard will deter entrepreneurs and companies from wanting to locate their businesses there,” says Drexel spokesperson Lori Doyle.

Which means that there’s little chance Drexel’s going to erect much-needed shelters (much less an actual station, as in Boston or D.C.) near the bus stops. So we’ll all get wet and hot and bothered. Still, it could be worse: There are always poorly ventilated, ill-regulated shady as hell Chinatown busses. [City Paper]