The Union Bus Depot was constructed in the 1930s, opened on December 12, 1936, and operated out of 264 Hargrave St., a site where True North Square development currently stands. Bus lines that operated from Union Bus Depot were Greyhound Canada, Grey Goose, Eagle, Beaver, Cross Country, Eastern Bus Lines, Southern, Sonnichsen, Riverbend, Thiessen.
In December 1962 plans were announced to replace the old Union Bus Depot between Hargrave and Carlton St. to the Winnipeg Bus Terminal fronted on Portage Avenue between Colony and Balmoral Streets and be named the Mall Centre. The project on of land would cost $4.5 million and would include a parkade and a 7-storey office building and 6-storey hotel. It was designed by architectural firm of Moody, Moore, Whenham and Partners, architects of the Centennial Concert Hall a few years later, along with Edmonton-based John McIntosh. The new bus terminal would be able to park up to 15 intercity buses at once. PCL began demolition of existing building at the site began in the spring of 1963. Construction crews had to dig to reach bedrock level, although they expected to dig no more than to do so. The Mall Centre and Bus Depot opened on October 15, 1964. It covers along with the Mall Centre Hotel. The 'Park-M-All' for up to 400 vehicles was included in the development. A Dutch Treat Cafeteria was the initial fast food restaurant that set up shop in the Bus Depot. For several years, Salisbury House restaurant and a small convenience store operated from the bus terminal In the 1980s the Mall Centre Hotel was demolished to make way for the 160-room Relax Plaza which was constructed in 1986, and later branded as a Holiday Inn Downtown and apartment complex.
Greyhound Canada announced in March 2008 that it would move the Winnipeg bus terminal from the Mall Centre in downtown Winnipeg to a new C$6.3 million building with a single storey structure with separate areas for freight and passengers inside of a of passenger space and of cargo processing space at the Winnipeg International Airport. The terminal moved operations on August 15, 2009, where it had been for 45 years. The terminal was a hub for Greyhound, with buses originating from and travelling to Vancouver; Edmonton; Calgary; Medicine Hat; and Toronto. On October 30, 2018 Greyhound Canada stopped serving western Canada, causing the closure of the bus terminal.
Repurposing Mall Centre Bus Depot
Today the old Winnipeg Bus Terminal on Portage Ave. has become Balmoral Station and functions as a termination or pass-thru point for Winnipeg Transit buses. A University of Winnipeg Student Centre currently occupies all of the space within the office complex.
