New Haven gained a commuter train line this summer. Then it lost a commuter bus line this fall.
As of Sept. 5, Peter Pan buses no longer stop in New Haven on their daily express routes between New York City and Hartford. The bus service will maintain its weekdaily rush hour commuter service between the Elm City and Hartford, which it operates on behalf of CTtransit.
Peter Picknelly, the CEO of the whimsically-named, Springfield-based long-distance and commuter bus service, said the company discontinued the Elm City stop on its Hartford-New York City line because of a steady drop in ridership to New Haven.
“The reality is that in New Haven over the last couple years, sales have declined,” he said.
He said that Peter Pan’s regional bus route, which has been stopping in New Haven since 1986, struggled to compete with the rival bus service Greyhound, which also runs buses through Union Station. He also said that Peter Pan could not keep up with the popular Metro North commuter train between New Haven and New York City.
Asked if the June opening of the new Hartford Line commuter train service that connects New Haven and the state capital hurt Peter Pan’s business in the Elm City, Picknelly said, “It certainly didn’t help, that’s for sure.”
Thomas Breen photo
The now out-dated bus service sign at the southern end of New Haven’s Union Station.
Picknelly said that now that Peter Pan’s New York City to Hartford line, which runs upwards of 13 round trips every weekday, does not have to stop in New Haven, the buses are no longer confined to using the frequently congested I‑95 corridor. It can instead use I‑84, which he described as “more convenient with less traffic.”
The bus line’s CEO reaffirmed, however, that Peter Pan will continue to operate CTtransit’s weekdaily commuter bus line between New Haven and Hartford. That bus is called the 950 New Haven/Hartford Express.
According to the CTtransit website, Peter Pan runs three buses every weekday morning and four buses every weekday evening between New Haven’s Union Station and Hartford’s Union Station, stopping in North Haven, Middletown, Wethersfield, and a handful of other New Haven and Hartford locations in between.