Peter Carmine Picknelly founded the company in 1933 with two
Buick limousines and named it after his son's favorite storybook,
Peter Pan. The company's first route operated between
Northampton, Massachusetts and
Boston through
Stafford Springs, Connecticut, costing $1.75 and requiring nearly four hours of travel time. In 1957, the
Massachusetts Turnpike was opened and travel time was cut in half. The son of the founder, Peter L. Picknelly, took over upon the death of the founder in 1964 and developed tour packages to the
1964 New York World's Fair. In 1999, an alliance was formed with
Greyhound Lines, coordinating schedules, marketing, and ticket sales. Peter Pan and Greyhound had been bitter rivals for most of the 1990s, when Peter Pan expanded outside New England to serve
New York City,
Washington, D. C.,
Philadelphia and
Baltimore. This partnership was dissolved in 2017. In 2004, Peter Pan sold the Maine Line operation in Portland to Cyr Bus Line. The same year, Peter A. Picknelly III took over as CEO after the death of his father. On August 15, 2024, Peter Pan Bus Lines and
MegaBus announced a partnership that will result in Peter Pan taking over all the Megabus routes in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. In 2023, the city of Springfield honored Peter Pan Bus Lines for its 90th anniversary, giving Peter Picknelly a key to the city. In 2025, they became the first US bus company to eliminate booking fees. ==Controversies==