The coach bus has always been an intricate part of the African-American community from the Great Migration to Civil Rights. While many African-Americans successfully established their own coach bus service, we discovered no historical evidence of an actual bus terminal hub situated in the black community. We believe not having a transport hub situated in the black community was a major economic miss and loss opportunity to create a healthy local economy. Many African-Americans go on cruise ships to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Bahamas and do not realize the local black population in those island nations have established sea ports and shuttle buses to infuse cash into their communities.  

In this article, we are going to take a serious first look at how to incorporate a bus terminal within black urban communities to attract tourists, shoppers and commuters.  

History of African-Americans and the Bus

Nearly 100 years ago, white Southerners created a racist plan to get the blacks out of the South offering subsidized bus rides up to Northern cities since the North like blacks better than the racist Southerners did here in America. But the irony is once the blacks went up North and found good manufacturing jobs paying better than cotton-picking jobs in the South and other black folks got wind, a Great Migration occurred where black families started packing up to moving up North and out West by buses, cars and planes. 

The majority of blacks leaving the south during the Great Migration traveled by bus to places such as Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland. While many of the actual buses where leased to black drivers and a few of the bus coaches were black-owned, the actual bus terminals destinations were not established in the black communities. Like today, we see parking lots and corners used as the bus drop off instead of an established bus terminal within these newly developed black communities. 

Bus terminals were one of the central Civil Rights battlegrounds – Greyhound and Trailways were segregated with black waiting rooms and white waiting rooms and fountains and the source and enforcement of Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights Movement. Once the bus system has been de-segregated as well as the bus terminals, the bitterness over using coach bus has begun to take effect.  Less whites took coach buses to travel where bus travel was more of a stereotype of poor blacks and other poor ethnic groups to move around. Many inner-city bus terminals situated in inner cities over time turned to bad areas attracting crime, homeless and sex trafficking. 

Generations of African-Americans have silently witness the role of bus terminals and bus travel decline as sour point in American history a casualty of the Civil Rights fight for equality. But the biggest loss and fallout was African-Americans continued to use bus travel with no serious considerations or plans by African-American leaders in establishing a solid infrastructure to accommodate African-American travel with a full service bus terminal hubs to drive economic growth in black communities. 

Modern Bus Terminals

Around the rest of the world in many developed nations, bus terminal hubs are now modeled like airport hubs as a use case to drive the local economy, create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for vendors.  Bus travel is profitable even during periods of high gas prices due to increased number of riders choosing buses over their own car for travel. 

African-Americans should start looking at what we find in the modern bus station model around the world and future-facing ideas we can consider in creating a modern bus terminal for the black community. 

Multiple Bus Operations. Just like airports have different airlines, bus terminals now accommodate multiple bus coach operators who pay a fee to drop-off and pick-up customers. A bus terminal operating in this manner is independent from a bus carrier and can operate more efficiently as a transportation authority model for a region. 

Shared Ticketing. Tickets are issues centrally for both commuters and baggage and are standardized for multiple bus terminals, taking these operations off the bus coach operation who can focus just on bus road operations and safety. 

Bus Lanes. More modern bus lanes to board and de-board customers with a covered canopy and powered by solar powered lights for energy efficiency. Bus lanes can also lead to major roads through ramps and custom roadways designed for buses through public-private ventures.

Display Boards. Flat panel boards can show the arrival / departures and emergency information as well as guidelines. In addition, flat panels can show advertising displays as a revenue generator for the terminal.  

Retailing / Dining Options. Waiting travelers can choose from food trucks to food halls or establish a mobile order for food delivery while they wait. Souvenir shops, cube shop stores and specialized vending machines can also be established to make a micro-shopping destination and experience. 

Waiting Areas. Establish waiting areas for elderly and families with traveling children with different amenities. Provide free wi-fi for ticket holders and USB charging rentals for travelers.

Car Rentals and Ridesharing. Commuters arriving to their destination can rent cars or scooters on a daily basis or get a ride sharing pickup or a traditional cab with waiting areas.  

Rest Areas for Drivers. Allow Drivers to get sleep or stay over and take a hot shower and fresh up. 

Additional amenities and services include wheelchairs and strollers, ATMs and lost and found services. One more thing to consider – parcel deliveries can occur between black communities where someone can now create their homemade lotion and soaps and distributed among black retailers among the bus destinations and this level of transportation happens multiple times a day. 

Best Locations

Where in America can the black community setup modern bus terminals as hubs? From our research, the biggest market is the state of Ohio. This is based on the number of major universities and colleges as well as the 3-5 trips between the major cities in Ohio. So if this model would kick off hard anywhere it would be in the state of Ohio. 

Other areas to consider are Charlotte-Atlanta-Birmingham corridor, the Jacksonville-Orlando-Tampa corridor, the New York - Newark – Buffalo-Boston-Philly corridor as well as the New Orleans- Houston-Dallas corridor. But keep in mind that a good bus terminal can be an attraction and destination within itself as a black economic success model people want to visit and enjoy the amenities.  

Research indicate suburban communities may be a better choice than inner city locations to prevent heavy bus congestion. Suburban areas have more open space to develop and will be cheaper to create bus-only lanes to the freeway. In addition, suburbs provide opportunities for local shuttles to operate from the bus terminal into the city which is a better option than having a coach bus constantly rolling on high-density city streets. 

Terminal Operations

Bus terminals are not just a destination, it is a hub and a place of high density activity, two components needed to create economic development. A bus terminal should be able the facilitate the following operations in order to serve it purpose:

Ticketing. A bus terminal can operate kiosk and walk-up ticketing services for travelers on behalf of bus coach operators. It is recommended there is a centralized ticketing format similar to the airline industry where the ticket is standardized. The ticketing service should have every available seat on every commuter bus registered in the system to be made available for purchase. In addition, we recommend wristbands for young children and elderly travelers which a QR code to help identify and track departure and arrivals. Luggage should also be ticketed as well and tracked along the journey and assigned to a passenger ticket. 

Drop Off and Pick Up. Roadways are needed to accommodate both kiss-and-ride drop-off as well as pickup. These areas should be closed off from walk-in pedestrian traffic and only for vehicles. Think of airports drop-offs and pick-ups and create the same format in terms of wait time and drop-off.  

Security Gates. We should never be lacking or slipping in our community regarding safety and definitely have security gates to check luggage and scan commuters for weapons. There should never be a tolerance for carrying weapons on any trip and lay this rule down. Be mindful that any security risk can compromise the future business and trust of a bus terminal so it is important to think safety-first. 

Departures and Arrival. Buses that arrive should have a separate space to perform unloading at arrival and loading for departures. People who are departing should have a separate entry/exist from people who are arriving. Maintain a rule that luggage cannot be loaded/unloaded by people but by the bus operators. It is possible to maintain QR code luggage tags that match tickets. 

Waiting Areas. The first rule is to keep the area clean and we recommend a cleaning staff that constantly pick up garbage and clean bathrooms on demand versus making timely rounds. Waiting areas need updated and visible display boards and also queued lines. The one thing we strongly recommend is avoid row seats with steel armrests and focus on lounge-based furniture that are more comfortable and allow people to sit as they please. 

Communication. Public announcements should have a standard chime sound to notify the user of arrivals, departures or important information. Digital displays should coordinate with any voice public announcement to accommodate both blind and deaf travelers to synchronize the message. 

Bus Maintenance. We recommend having a separate facility to manage any buses that break down or need maintenance work away from the terminal. A good bus terminal would have both a bus tow truck and also on-sight fire-emergency staff to ensure quick response to dealing with unforeseen events that can delay and disrupt terminal operations. 

Distributed Ledger Technology

Distributed ledger technology using blockchain offers better efficiency and lower cost to employ services among bus terminals and bus operators to run efficient services. For example, a digital settlement token can be created to manage funds between bus operators and bus terminals and travelers. 

A distributed ledger can be shared and synchronized on each bus and bus terminal and synchronized when buses reach terminal stations. If a distributed ledger model is adopted, ticketing for example can be recorded on a distributed ledger and the current status of a bus creating a self-managed traffic control system. 

Another good example is stored value where a traveler can load digital tokens on their ticket and make purchases. The funds are recorded locally and synchronized among everyone with a distributed ledger in real-time. This create opportunity to establish prepaid kiosks at bus terminals and allow people to load their card, travel to a location, spend locally and cash out when they return at another bus terminal kiosk. 

Bus operators can also use the distributed ledger for settlement purposes where a bus arrival is written to the blockchain to charge the terminal access fee. In addition, the bus terminal operations itself can be managed on a distributed ledger to ensure the funds are managed properly and not through corruption, especially when it comes to vendor contracts and services. 

Revenue Model

A bus terminal hub is really where all the money is at in the transportation. Our research shown the majority of transportation hubs owned by governments lose money but privately-owned transportation hubs are extremely profitable due to stakeholders and willingness to innovate and offer new services. Here are several revenue models a bus terminal can take advantage of. 

Digital Settlement Tokens. A settlement token is used on a distributed ledger to facilitate micro-transactions. A bus terminal that manage a settlement token can charge a processing fee for every customer or bus transaction or if the settlement token was used in the local community. 

Insurance Policies. A bus terminal can offer bus replacement insurance where a coach bus is on standby if a bus breaks down or cannot make the rest of the journey. The bus operator pays insurance for the right to use the bus instead of a bus operator taking hours to get a bus to pick up their customers. 

Operator Fee. Each bus operator pays a fee to access the bus terminal and load and unload their customers. 

Vending Contracts. Vendors bid on the ability to open shop at the bus terminal or operate automated kiosks and vending machines. 

Advertising Revenue. Because bus terminals have high traffic, display advertising can also be sold on digital and printed signage or even on the tickets themselves. Do not think impression ads but also coupons can be printed on the receipt to shop locally upon arrival at a destination. 

Rental and Rideshare Fee. Charge cabs, ridesharing and rental cars to park and wait for customers or run a rental service. Don’t think just renting cars, scooters and bicycles can be rented as well. 

Ticketing and Reservations. Charge bus operators for managing the ticketing and luggage tracking but there is another bonus – ticketing can be done for the local community comedy show, a local museum and more can be purchased by a traveler using your ticketing system and you charge for this service. 

Media and Digital Services. It is possible to create a hub where travelers on buses play digital poker, watch movies, news and original programming plus interactive games like you see on flights or sell books and music digitally and receive commission for the download or sale. The movies and software can be loaded digitally when a bus arrive at the terminal.

Shipping. Small packages can be shipped on buses and stored at the bus terminal for pickup. These are not traveler-based packages but an example is an entrepreneur distributing their homemade soap at small cities the bus terminal reach. The bus terminal can revenue share with bus operators on these shipping packages. 

If you haven’t realized by now, a bus terminal has serious revenue opportunity through multiple channels to stay profitable and healthy. 

Economic Impact

The economic impact of a bus terminal can create positive impacts and irreversible changes to the community. The positive upside is a bus terminal create jobs, create new revenue for the tax base and increase the value of homes and an influx of shoppers and even people moving into the community from other cities. 

The other economic impact is gentrification where the real estate value rise pushing out long-time single-income households. Pollution and hazardous material such as fuel and smog are also introduced to the area as well. Safety becomes a concern as sex trafficking and ex-incarcerated individuals are introduced to areas via bus terminals and in extreme cases, the risk of targeted terrorism increase. 

The reality is the benefits outweigh the good for declining urban areas that require revitalization. Technology such as facial recognition, smart cameras and digital ids and distributed ledger tracking make it easier to manage who is coming and going at a bus terminal. Environment impact do require a feasibility study but again, it is always important first to realize that a bus terminal is best located at a distance from a local community and provide shuttles or rentals to reach the area, similar to how cruise ship destinations operate in the Caribbean. 

Thinking Bigger Picture

If we look at the bigger picture, we will notice bus terminals are actually a global opportunity and can create a mogul empire for someone with the right future facing mindset. Buses and bus terminal models are widely used and underdeveloped all around the world. If someone get the bus terminal hub right here in our African-American community and able to replicate the template worldwide, we are looking at tremendous growth opportunity. 

Another consideration is to focus on themes for bus terminals. Some bus terminals can focus on a STEM lab for the kids to play, another can have an aquarium while another can host a museum exhibit. Unique bus terminal hubs with a micro-attraction will definitely increase traffic to the destination for tourists and day-trip travelers.  

Public-private cooperation should be the focus to work with the local community to provide jobs and support local efforts while establishing the infrastructure to make a bus terminal hub work for the community. The benefits of taxes, new economic models and opportunity for jobs cannot be ignored by any black community that is currently going through blight. But be mindful that a private corporate venture is going to have to take the initiative and lead to make things actually happen.