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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Thursday, the Huntsville City Council approved an agreement with Greyhound to operate out of the city's public transit building.

This comes as the Greyhound lease for its depot at Monroe and Holmes is expiring.

The building was recently put up for sale or lease, sparking questions about Greyhound's future in Huntsville. Brokers say now there is a local buyer and the building is under contract. They were not sure Thursday what the new likely owners would do with the space.

Greyhound will instead be moving into the Huntsville Public Transit building located at 500 B Church Street within the next 60-90 days, said a Greyhound representative after the council meeting.

The company sent WHNT News 19 this statement:

"We're excited to continue serving the Huntsville community from the transit center, as our new location will offer residents seamless connectivity to other modes of transportation. We look forward to providing an outstanding travel experience for customers from our new station."

City leaders say the move just makes sense.

"We are excited that Greyhound is going to be a part of our operations. That will make it certainly easier for their riders to take local transit buses to other destinations, "Tommy Brown, Huntsville's Director of Parking and Transportation. "We will have taxi stands available so they can take taxis to other stations. We are excited about the first step toward a really multi-modal facility."

Brown said through the contract, approved Thursday night, Greyhound will pay Huntsville $94,000 to operate in the city building.

"Our facility is made to accommodate buses and passengers. So it's a win-win for them and the city makes some money so it's a win for us as well," said Brown.

He said it's something they've wanted to happen for a long time.

"Initially, when we built our building we wanted Greyhound to be a part of that," he shared.

Some improvements, like a ticketing booth and signage, along with a Greyhound office, will need to be completed before the bus company can move in.

"It makes a good public-private partnership," said Mayor Tommy Battle. "We have the people there, we have facilities there, so it just makes sense to share costs."

Greyhound leaders tell us two people handle ticketing and other things at the old Greyhound facility on Monroe Street, and their jobs are provided by an independent contract. They will no longer be needed when the switch is made, although the contractor may opt to transfer them to another location.

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