Greyhound has left the Bowling Green bus station, and a return trip isn’t guaranteed.

Dallas-based Greyhound has shut down the bus station at 55 Parker Ave. – near Exit 28 on Interstate 65 in northern Warren County – and set up a temporary site at the Pilot Travel Center at 2940 Scottsville Road in Franklin. The move ends a run of nearly 15 years at the Parker Avenue location for Greyhound.

The closure appears to be part of an ongoing strategy by Greyhound parent company First Group of Scotland, which has actively sought buyers for its stations in Denver, Portland and other U.S. cities.

Many Greyhound stations have been replaced by no-frills curbside pickup locations as the financially ailing company tries to cut costs and make money by selling some real estate.

The move of the Bowling Green Greyhound station to the Pilot Travel Center seems to fit with that strategy, although a company spokesperson promises that Greyhound isn’t abandoning Bowling Green.

“We are actively working with the city (of Bowling Green) to find a permanent location, a process that has been slowed due to precautions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Greyhound Lines Inc. Senior Communications Specialist Crystal Booker said in an email.

Booker alluded to the company’s strategy of going away from full-service stations.

“We have served the Bowling Green community for many years, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the area from a new location,” she said. “While we enjoyed operating from our previous location, this move comes after an end to our lease agreement and a decision to move to a location that more closely aligns with current and future business plans.”

At least for now, those plans don’t include continuing to operate the type of full-service station that Greyhound had in the 1,060-square-foot building on Parker Avenue.

That building, owned since 2018 by Bowling Green-based limited liability corporation Mah Enterprises, is being offered for lease now that Greyhound has hit the road.

Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson is holding out hope the city can keep a Greyhound station in some form.

“(Greyhound) contacted the city to see if we knew of any entity that would let them locate at their site,” Wilkerson said. “They prefer a site close to the interstate. We haven’t yet found any place that fits.

“A segment of our population relies on it (Greyhound). We’ll do what we can to help them find a suitable location.”

If the right location is found, Booker said Greyhound would again like to operate a full-service station in Bowling Green.

Founded in 1914, Greyhound is an iconic U.S. company that once played a large role in personal and business travel but has been largely supplanted by automobile and airplane travel.

But, according to the Greyhound website, the company still serves 2,400 destinations and transports nearly 16 million passengers each year in the United States and Canada.

First Group has owned Greyhound since 2007.