Greyhound . . . oh, btw, we’re moving. Tomorrow. In less than 12 hours.

The only story that ends up in my google reader to pass along to you. But the story is more about what you don’t see. One might think this was some kind of April Fools joke.

From: Harmon, Ray
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 5:06 PM
To: ALL ALDERS
Subject:

Dear Alders-

I wanted to let you know that yesterday I was contacted by Greyhound and informed the lease on their current temporary space on Stoughton RD ends March 31, 2010 and begin temporarily operate a curbside service at the intersection of East Washington and Baldwin St., beginning Thursday, April 1. From this location, Greyhound will continue to run 10 daily schedules. Tickets can be purchased online. Greyhound is working closely with city officials to find a permanent location in Madison.

Please see attached release from Greyhound for additional information.

Sincerely,

Ray Harmon
Office of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz

Working closely with the city, they give them 24 hours notice and the alders get even less. Poor Alder Maniaci sent the notice out at 2am to her constituents with a note:

On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 2:00 AM, Maniaci, Bridget wrote:
Neighbors,
Please let me know of your thoughts.
Thanks,
Bridget

I’ll tell you what I think, and I’m not directing these comments at Alder Maniaci but Greyhound . . . this is a shitty way to do business. If someone were leaving on a Greyhound bus today, do they wait by Pug Mahones, or EVP or on the other side by the old Marquip building? Where do people wait in bad weather? What restrooms can they use while waiting? What do they do in bad weather? Is our neighborhood coffee shop to become the Greyhound bus station? Were they consulted about this? Aren’t there city approvals needed for curb side pick ups? Are they removing parking spaces? Are they sharing Madison Metro’s bus stops and how will that work? And, um, what about those who don’t have a credit card to buy tickets on-line, who are also likely the same people who don’t have internet access except at public libraries?

For what it is worth, here’s the press release:

DALLAS (March 31, 2010) – Greyhound will temporarily operate a curbside service at the intersection of East Washington and Baldwin St., beginning Thursday, April 1. From this location, Greyhound will continue to run 10 daily schedules. Tickets can be purchased online. Greyhound is working closely with city officials to find a permanent location in Madison.

For Greyhound ticket information in Madison, call 1-800-231-2222.

About Greyhound
Greyhound is the largest North American provider of intercity bus transportation, serving more than 2,300 destinations across the continent. For fare and schedule information and to buy tickets call 1-800-231-2222 or visit the Web site at www.greyhound.com. Follow Greyhound on Twitter for the latest news and travel deals, http://twitter.com/GreyhoundBus.

So, if you bought tickets for this weekend to get out of town, SURPRISE! you’re leaving from a new location, apparently, they’ll twitter you about it? Or worse yet, if you left on spring break and left from Stoughton Rd, you’re in for a surprise when you get dropped off at Baldwin and E. Washington Ave.

Don’t get me wrong, its a much better location than Stoughton Road and I have at least one staff member who will be thrilled they don’t need to bum a ride from friends to get to the station, but as I said before, this is a shitty way to do business. No notice, no working out logistics, no good information for the public.