Peter Pan Bus Lines
Encyclopedia
Peter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus
carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts
. It operates in the northeastern
United States
. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes.
The company was founded as Yellow Cab
Air Line in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the company remains based, and was purchased by Peter Carmen Picknelly in 1933. The Picknelly family still owns the company. The company logo is based on an illustration by Roy Best
.
Peter Pan was affiliated with Trailways
beginning in the 1990s, but ended that affiliation in 2005.
; Springfield, Massachusetts
; Hartford, Connecticut
; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D.C.
; and points in between. The operation south of New York City (other than Atlantic City casino service) began with an expansion in the early 1990s (after which the company joined the Trailways network). Schedules for 1994 showed an additional expansion to Norfolk, Virginia
and Ocean City, Maryland
via the Delmarva Peninsula
, paralleling services operated by Carolina Trailways (which was owned by competitor Greyhound Lines
), but this was very brief.
In 1999, an alliance was formed with Greyhound, coordinating schedules, marketing, and ticket sales.
Peter Pan's Coaches consist mainly of vehicles manufactured by Motor Coach Industries
. The fleet also consists of Van Hool
coaches and some RTS
buses which came along with their takeover of Coach USA's Northeastern division companies, namely Arrow Line, Mini Coach of Boston, Maine Line, Pawtuxet Valley, and the Providence-based Bonanza in 2003. Maine Line was then sold to Cyr Bus, Pawtuxet Valley was closed and folded into Bonanza, and Mini Coach of Boston was renamed Peter Pan-Boston, and primarily serves the charter coach market in the Boston hub area.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. It operates in the northeastern
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes.
The company was founded as Yellow Cab
Yellow Cab
There are many Yellow Cabs taxicab operators around the world . The original Yellow Cab Company, based in Chicago, Illinois is one of the largest taxicab companies in the United States.- History :...
Air Line in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the company remains based, and was purchased by Peter Carmen Picknelly in 1933. The Picknelly family still owns the company. The company logo is based on an illustration by Roy Best
Roy Best
Roy Best was an American illustrator and painter of pin-up art.He was born in Waverly, Ohio and attended the Art Institute of Cincinnati, working on a railroad construction crew to support himself. He later moved to Chicago, Illinois, and enrolled in the Art Institute there.Later, Best was...
.
Peter Pan was affiliated with Trailways
Trailways Transportation System
The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...
beginning in the 1990s, but ended that affiliation in 2005.
Routes
Peter Pan's major service areas include: Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
; Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
; Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; and points in between. The operation south of New York City (other than Atlantic City casino service) began with an expansion in the early 1990s (after which the company joined the Trailways network). Schedules for 1994 showed an additional expansion to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
and Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
via the Delmarva Peninsula
Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
, paralleling services operated by Carolina Trailways (which was owned by competitor Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
), but this was very brief.
In 1999, an alliance was formed with Greyhound, coordinating schedules, marketing, and ticket sales.
Peter Pan's Coaches consist mainly of vehicles manufactured by Motor Coach Industries
Motor Coach Industries
Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...
. The fleet also consists of Van Hool
Van Hool
Van Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...
coaches and some RTS
Rapid Transit Series
The Rapid Transit Series bus is a long-running series of transit buses originally manufactured by General Motors and is currently produced by Millennium Transit Services as the RTS Legend. Millennium had produced the buses from 2006 until it shut down production in 2009, only to be bought back...
buses which came along with their takeover of Coach USA's Northeastern division companies, namely Arrow Line, Mini Coach of Boston, Maine Line, Pawtuxet Valley, and the Providence-based Bonanza in 2003. Maine Line was then sold to Cyr Bus, Pawtuxet Valley was closed and folded into Bonanza, and Mini Coach of Boston was renamed Peter Pan-Boston, and primarily serves the charter coach market in the Boston hub area.
See also
- Greyhound LinesGreyhound LinesGreyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
- interline carrier on most Peter Pan routes - Coach USACoach USACoach USA LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service...
- former owner of most of the Peter Pan companies - BusJunctionBusJunctionBusJunction.com is a discount bus ticket search engine based in the United States. It aggregates ticket information from discount and Chinatown bus lines so that users can search for tickets by price and departure time....
- a bus ticket search engine that includes Peter Pan tickets - BoltBusBoltBusBoltBus is a bus line operating in the northeastern United States. It is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines providing service between New York City and other cities in the northeastern United States, utilizing the existing operating authority of Greyhound Lines...
- a bus company linked with the Greyhound