MASSLIVE: SPRINGFIELD — Chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines Peter A. Picknelly playfully greeted driver Everett L. ‘Andy’ Anderson Monday, asking him: “You didn’t get into an accident on the way over here, did you? Because that would be bad.”
Anderson answered: “What did you see?”
Anderson did not get into a crash, accident or even a fender bender. And he hasn’t since starting work as a driver for Peter Pan in 1970.
That was 4 million miles ago — the equivalent of 20 trips to the moon or about 161 bus trips around Earth. Anderson is only the second bus driver on record in the country to achieve 4 million accident-free miles, a feat that takes at least 48 years.
“You have to stay focused,” Anderson said Monday before being honored by the company and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno at a ceremony in Springfield’s Union Station. “It’s not easy. But you have to stay focused. And it’s getting harder because the car drivers are getting more aggressive.”
Dave Kollisch, a long-time fellow driver for Peter Pan, says Anderson is known for his strength and reliability. “Andy is adored by the rank and file of Peter Pan,” Kollisch said Monday. “Even after 53 years, he’s a strong man who never gives up.”
Anderson handles one of Peter Pan’s most rigorous day routes — the round trip between Springfield and Boston. “And he never misses a day of work. He’s up before the break of dawn and drives the longest day route we have,” Kollisch said.
The late Ed Hope, who also drove for Peter Pan, achieved 4 million accident free miles in 2017. Everett’s brother, Joseph Anderson, achieved 3 million accident-free miles for Peter Pan in 2011.
Peter Pan Bus Lines drivers average about 100,000 miles a year, Picknelly said.
Read more MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/03/peter-pan-driver-everett-andy-anderson-says-staying-focused-allowed-him-to-drive-4-million-miles-accident-free.html?utm_campaign=masslivenews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR23Lnr-DTo-OPRX60n44hfmS6eDEAfa80YlNdyCaws9HVyTTk7_Fmb8JKI
