GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT, 55 Main St., existed in 1930's/1940's
INTERURBAN DEPOT (Trailways), 56 N. Broadway, opened by 1930's
CONTINENTAL TRAILWAYS BUS DEPOT, 73 N. Broadway, opened 1958
UNION BUS DEPOT (Trailways), 54 N. Broadway, opened early 1960's
CONTINENTAL TRAILWAYS BUS DEPOT, 138 S. River St., opened around 1970
AURORA TRANSPORTATION CENTER, 233 N. Broadway, opened 1994
The Interurban Depot was actually the station for the Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad, that electric interurban line used streetcar trackage on Broadway.
The Trailways service in Aurora evolved from Burlington Trailways, which had been affiliated with the most dominant railroad serving Aurora. Trailways always had a larger presence in Aurora than Greyhound. In 1945, Greyhound moved its own earlier depot to the Interurban Depot.
Also serving the Interurban Depot was the Aurora-Elgin Bus Line, and Joliet-Aurora Transit Lines, bus routes between their namesake cities which had earlier replaced interurban railways. Previously, the Aurora Elgin & Fox River Electric Co. had operated streetcar and interurban service in that area, replaced with buses in the early 1930's and sold to National City Lines in 1936. In 1940, National City Lines reorganized those operations into Aurora City Lines, Elgin City Lines, and Aurora-Elgin Bus Line. In 1968, Joliet-Aurora Transit Lines acquired the Aurora-Elgin Bus Line, and their original Joliet to Aurora line was discontinued around 1969. After 1973, the Aurora to Elgin service was operated by the public sector, now Pace.
From 1948 to 1950, Exemplar Stages operated from Aurora to Rochelle and Rockford, using the Interurban Depot.
In 1955, Continental Trailways sold the former Burlington Trailways local route between Chicago and Aurora to Bluebird Coach Lines, whose main route had replaced an interurban railway between Chicago and Joliet. It is unlikely that this route would have used a depot. The route was not operated after 1965, when West Suburban Transit Lines acquired Bluebird Coach Lines.
After a period of absence, Greyhound returned in 1982, serving Aurora at stations away from downtown. In 1985, Continental Trailways discontinued service in Aurora, prior to its acquisition by Greyhound.
In 1994, Greyhound moved to the intermodal Aurora Transportation Center, also used by Metra trains and the Pace local bus system. But service was discontinued in 2011.
UNION BUS DEPOT, 74 Illinois St., existed in 1940's and/or 1950's
UNION BUS DEPOT, Oak St. and Illinois St., existed in 1940's and/or 1950's
UNION BUS DEPOT, 94 Depot Ct., existed in 1940's and/or 1950's
UNION BUS DEPOT, 1633 Depot Ct., opened early 1960's
UNION BUS DEPOT, 1907 Chicago Rd., opened around 1970
In addition to Greyhound, Chicago Heights was served by Southern Limited, an intercity carrier, which in 1954 was acquired by Greyhound. The listed address varied for the Union Bus Depot during the 1940's and 1950's, it is possible that some of these addresses might have actually been the same location.
Also serving the Union Bus Depot was Gold Star Line, which until 1966 operated between Joliet and Hammond, having succeeded an interurban railway. And serving Union Bus Depot was South Suburban Safeway Lines, which was later succeed by the Pace South Division. South Suburban Safeway Lines and the Southern Limited intercity carrier actually had common historic corporate roots.
Greyhound bus service was discontinued around 2006.
UNION MOTOR COACH STATION (Greyhound), 9 N. Grove Ave., opened by 1930's
UNION MOTOR COACH STATION (Greyhound), 166 Douglas Ave., opened 1949
GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT, 222 Dundee Ave., opened around 1970
GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT, 200 N. Brook St., opened around 1976
GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT, 110 W. Chicago St., opened around 1987
Also serving the Union Motor Coach Station was the Aurora-Elgin Bus Line. After 1973, the Aurora to Elgin service was operated by the public sector, now Pace. And serving the Union Motor Coach Station was United Motor Coach, which was later succeed by the Pace Northwest Division. Elgin was served until 1969 by a United Motor Coach route extending east to Evanston.
From 1982 to 1987, Greyhound used a location away from downtown. In 1987, Greyhound began using a location in the immediate vicinity of the downtown Metra train station and the Pace bus terminal. Service was suspended in 2001, restored in 2004, and discontinued in 2006.
BUS DEPOT (Greyhound), 301 N. Ottawa St., opened by 1930's
BUS DEPOT (Greyhound), 255 N. Chicago St., opened 1948
UNION BUS TERMINAL (Trailways), 22 E. Jefferson St., opened by 1930's
UNION BUS TERMINAL (Trailways), 57 W. Washington St., opened 1947
UNION BUS TERMINAL (Trailways), 11 N. Ottawa St., opened 1952
Also serving both the Greyhound and Trailways depots were three bus lines, which had earlier replaced interurban railways. Bluebird Coach Lines operated into Chicago and later evolved into the present Pace bus service. Gold Star Line operated until 1966 to Chicago Heights and Hammond. And Joliet-Aurora Transit Lines operated until around 1969. Also, Joliet Manhattan & Kankakee Transportation Co. operated until 1951, its history of serving the Joliet bus depots is vague.
Beginning in 1956, Trailways used the Greyhound station.
Around 1970, Greyhound and Trailways moved to a new location away from downtown. Several different station locations were used, until the discontinuance of bus service in 2009.
UNION BUS DEPOT (Greyhound), 105 Washington St., opened by 1942
UNION BUS DEPOT (Greyhound), 209 Water St., opened 1944
GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT, 143 Belvidere St., opened 1964
GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT, 123 Water St., opened around 1976
In addition to Greyhound, from 1943 to 1948, Peoria Rockford Bus Co. operated a route west to Harvard and to points south. And until 1951, Cardinal Bus Lines operated from Waukegan to Fox Lake, and connected with a commuter bus operation from Chicago which Cardinal Bus Lines had acquired from American Coach Co. in 1948. That commuter bus operation, with lines extending north from Chicago to Burlington and Janesville in Wisconsin, was abandoned in 1952.
From 1956 to 1964, Greyhound suspended direct bus service to Waukegan. In 1991, Greyhound moved to a new location away from downtown. But service was discontinued in 2011.