The George Washington Bridge Bus Station (GWBBS) is linked directly with the upper level of the George Washington Bridge by special ramps. It occupies a two-block site in the Washington Heights area of upper Manhattan, between 178th and 179th Streets and Fort Washington and Wadsworth Avenues, above the twelve-lane George Washington Bridge Trans-Manhattan Expressway. The station extends from Fort Washington Avenue to Broadway with a bus parking and turnaround platform between Broadway and Wadsworth Avenue. The rear deck is leased for monthly car parking. The bus station has three levels and is 400 feet long by 185 feet wide.

The bus station replaced a number of sidewalk bus loading areas that existed in the 166-167th Street area of Washington Heights with comfortable and convenient facilities for bus passengers. A brightly illuminated pedestrian passageway, located at the Fort Washington end below street level, connects the bus station with the north end of the 175th Street A-Line subway station.

On a typical weekday, approximately 17,000 passengers on about 950 buses use the bus station. In 2007, the bus station handled approximately 5,000,000 passengers on about 300,0000 buses.

The main passenger concourse is located on the second level. Ticket windows, telephones, information services and restroom facilities are provided on this level. Closed circuit color television monitors enable customers to determine the availability of buses on the upper bus level without leaving the comfort of the main concourse. A Traveler Information Kiosk provides a variety of information about the Bus Station including buses that travel to and from the Station, and floor plans identifying shops and services. It also provides connections to other agencies' Web sites where travelers can find bus and subway information, travel directions, points of interest, and more. An electronic news ticker at the top of the kiosk provides traffic delay information relevant to Bus Station travelers. Urban Pathways operates a referral service for people in need of social services with an office located on the lower level.

Commuter buses operate from the upper bus level of the station. There are 36 loading positions for departing buses at 10 island platforms. An arrivals platform extends the entire length of the south side of the building.

The George Washington Bridge Bus Station features the first example in the United States of the work of Dr. Pier Luigi Nervi, the noted Italian engineer-architect of the 1960 Olympic Stadium in Rome and other world-renowned structures.

The bus station's concrete roof, designed by Dr. Nervi, comprises 26 triangular sections poured in place, 14 of which slope upward from a row of columns in the center of the building. Each triangular 92 by 66 foot section is made of 25 concrete panels. The sides of the raised roof sections and of the bus station itself are exposed concrete structural members forming openings to facilitate ventilation of the bus platforms and the expressway beneath the building. These concrete supporting members complement the design of the steel cross-bracing in the George Washington Bridge towers.

The bus station received the Concrete Industry Board's 1963 award as the structure in the metropolitan area which represents the best in conception, originality and applicability of concrete, both in design and construction.

The George Washington Bridge Bus Station opened on January 17, 1963. As of December 31, 2007, the Port Authority had invested $56,333,000 in the facility