KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The owner of the gas station that Greyhound uses as a bus stop said he no longer wants to work with the bus company and terminated his agreement with it.
He said after Oct. 6, 2022, Greyhound buses will no longer be allowed to stop at his gas station.
"They leave them stranded with nothing," said Trisha Harshaw, the manager of that Marathon gas station.
Harshaw said she sees people who book layovers in Knoxville, without knowing they don't have a place to sit and wait. The gas station closes at 9 p.m. so travelers may be stuck outside at night.
Because of that, Harshaw said people don't have anywhere indoors to use the bathroom, and Greyhound closes their porta-potties after their last bus leaves.
"They use the bathroom in between trucks because they have nowhere to go to the bathroom here," Harshaw said.
The gas station owner said Greyhound pays him $500 a month to use his facility, but that's no longer worth it.
Greyhound said it's working to find a more permanent solution in a statement to 10News.
Greyhound is aware of the challenges experienced by the current location as we continue to work with the city to find a more permanent arrangement. The industry-wide driver shortage is not unique to Greyhound and has caused delays and network issues across intercity bus transportation.
Since the location does not allow its patrons or Greyhound customers to use its restrooms, Greyhound provides its own stations which are locked outside of active bus schedule hours. We also have a local partner that is on the ground helping to provide customer support as needed.
As we head towards a resolution, we will continue to work with station management to improve the experience for all involved.