On 26th August 2003 the operators of twelve European international coach terminals founded the Association of Paneuropean Coach Terminals e. V. (APC) in Riga.

The catalyst was the TAIEX Workshop “Acquis relating to Cross Border Passenger Transport by Bus or Coach” held by the European Commission 17-18 March 2003 in Berlin. Not only the operators of the international coach terminals but also the other participants (representatives of ministries, municipalities as well as coach operators) agreed that in order to achieve optimal coach traffic in Europe it is necessary to deal with a series of issues and for this reason it is essential to create a neutral institution, which represents the interests of all parties in the form of an umbrella organisation.