Boston, MA
Springfield’s Peter Pan Bus Lines takes over Megabus service from Boston to D.C.
SPRINGFIELD — Peter Pan Bus Lines is taking over Megabus routes in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states stretching from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and points in between.
“It’s a big deal for us,” Peter A. Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines.
The move doubles Peter Pan’s operations along the busy northeastern corridor, Picknelly said. Before the changes, Peter Pan offered 14 trips each way every day between Boston and Washington, D.C. Starting at midnight Thursday into Friday, that becomes 28 trips.
In the past, Peter Pan has operated only from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Starting Friday, it’s a 24-hour operation, said Picknelly, who is the third-generation leader of the company.
The expansion also requires new drivers and 45 new buses at $635,000 each.
“We’re modernizing our fleet, which is what our consumers want: They want a nice, clean, modern bus. We listen to our customers — where they want to go — and expand where it makes sense. We’re hiring drivers left and right,” Picknelly said.
With the expansion, the company has hired 35 driver and has plans to add even more. Also, Picknelly said Peter Pan will add more mechanics and maintenance people along the corridor to support the new operations.
“It’s a great opportunity for Peter Pan,” he said.
Megabus owner Coach USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June, according to published reports.
Peter Pan had already taken over Megabus routes in Boston, Picknelly said.
In preparation, Peter Pan has reduced fares by close to 40%.
Megabus’ parent company will continue to operate commuter lines in and around New York City.
The Megabus website will still be active selling tickets, Picknelly said. But starting Friday those tickets will be for Peter Pan-run buses.
Most of the destinations are places Peer Pan has long served, he said. But Peter Pan is adding two new cities: one in the Philadelphia suburbs and White Marsh, Maryland, in the Baltimore suburbs where Megabus had a major presence.
“It’s a substantial opportunity for us,” Picknelly said. “We’re looking forward to many customers riding with us for the first time.”
Picknelly said travelers are choosing buses because of their cost and frequent service.
Boston, MA
Workers at the ICA in Boston opt to unionize – The Boston Globe
Employees at the Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston are gearing up for contract negotiations with the Seaport museum after quietly opting to unionize last month.
Just over 90 employees, in roles ranging from visitor services to development to curation, are now being represented by the UAW Local 2110, a New York-based union, as they prepare to go to the bargaining table, seeking better pay and other job protections.
The ICA voluntarily recognized the union shortly after the workers went to museum leadership in early April, said Maida Rosenstein, UAW Local 2110’s director of organizing. That meant the employees could sidestep a formal election through the National Labor Relations Board and instead conduct a card-counting process.
“That all happened quite quickly,” said Rosenstein.
“Our experience with getting voluntary recognition was that the ICA was reasonable about the process,” she added. “So hopefully that will continue through the bargaining process.”
The next step, Rosenstein said, is for the workers to elect a bargaining committee from among their ranks, and then draw up some specific proposals. “We’re hopeful of being able to be negotiating this summer,” she said.
In a statement, the ICA’s director, Nora Burnett Abrams, who stepped into the top job last May, noted that “our exceptional staff are at the heart of what makes the museum so special.”
“We are voluntarily recognizing our employees’ choice to be represented by a union and view the decision to organize as an expression of their deep dedication to the institution,” Burnett Abrams said. “We look forward to working collaboratively and in good faith with Local UAW 2110 toward a collective agreement.”
The ICA is just the latest local institution to see labor action among its workforce. UAW Local 2110 also represents employees at the MFA Boston, who voted to unionize in 2020 and secured compensation increases and other benefit improvements when they ratified their first contract in 2022. Workers at MASS MoCa in North Adams, the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, and the Portland Museum of Art in Maine are also represented by UAW Local 2110.
Carter Seggev, a 28-year-old events coordinator at the museum, said seeing the MFA go through its own unionization process served as something of a blueprint for the ICA workers.
“It has been a very helpful beginner example, to sort of be like, ‘Oh, yeah, they can do it,’ and especially that scale,” he said.
Rosenstein said a chief concern among workers is improving pay, which is currently “very slightly above minimum wage at the entry level,” she said. Other concerns include protections against layoffs and other “health and safety” provisions, such as adequate rest and seating for visitor-facing employees.
For Seggev, who earns $50,000 a year at the museum, better pay is only one piece of the puzzle. He wants more transparency from museum leadership into policy decisions — and a greater say in the institution’s future.
“I like the ICA a lot. It’s a fun workplace, and I would love to have more of a voice in making sure that everyone is being considered and everyone’s needs are being taken into account,” he said. “For me personally, that’s been the biggest driving force.”
He added that, since workers went public with their organizing efforts, he’s been happy with leadership’s willingness to talk with workers about their aims. He was also encouraged by the museum’s voluntary recognition of the union.
“I know that is a very rare thing, and so far, the communication has been very positive,” he said. “I think everyone’s sort of looking forward to working together to make the ICA better.”
The ICA, which has been housed in a gleaming glass building perched on the waterfront since 2006, had an operating surplus of about $800,000 in the fiscal year that ended in June 2025, according to its latest publicly released financial statements. That was up more than a quarter-million dollars from the previous year.
Dana Gerber can be reached at dana.gerber@globe.com. Follow her @danagerber6.
Boston, MA
With Jayson Tatum out, Celtics debut brand-new starting lineup in Game 7
With Jayson Tatum unavailable, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla threw his starting lineup into a blender for Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Boston opened Saturday’s win-or-go-home game at TD Garden with a five-man unit of Derrick White, Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman, Jaylen Brown and Luka Garza.
White and Brown are longtime starting-lineup staples, and Scheierman, Harper and Garza all started games at different points this season. But this was that quintet’s first time sharing the floor. They’d played zero minutes together during the regular season or postseason.
Harper, Scheierman and Garza were part of Boston’s top-performing lineup in Game 6. Those three, along with Payton Pritchard and Jordan Walsh, staged a late-game rally, cutting a 23-point deficit to 12 before losing steam in the final minutes of Philadelphia’s series-extending 106-93 win.
The trio of new additions also played key roles in one of the Celtics’ most memorable wins of the season: the Game 82 matchup with the Orlando Magic that Boston won despite sitting their top seven rotation players. Harper, Scheierman and Garza combined for 84 points in that win, with Garza hitting the decisive 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Scheierman and Garza have seen sporadic playing time in Boston’s first-round playoff series, but Harper — who only had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal last month — had only played in blowouts before his surprise start on Saturday.
The radical lineup change pushed usual starters Neemias Queta and Sam Hauser to the bench. Queta had started 81 of the 82 games he’d played this season, including each of the first six playoff games, but he’s struggled to stay out of foul trouble against the Sixers. The Celtics were outscored with Hauser on the floor in four of the first six postseason contests.
Mazzulla opted for Garza over veteran center Nikola Vucevic, who has been Queta’s primary backup when healthy.
Tatum was ruled out for Game 7 with left knee tightness.
Boston, MA
Boston May Fair 2026 opening times as ‘iconic’ attraction returns
A fair that attracts thousands of visitors every year will officially open later in Boston.
The May Fair is “one of the country’s most iconic and historic street fairs”, Boston Borough Council said.
The event, featuring attractions, rides and games, will be held in the town centre until 9 May.
Dale Broughton, leader of the council, said: “The Boston May Fair is one of our town’s most treasured traditions, and welcoming it back once again is something we look forward to all year.”
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