Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

2 days ago

With Major Heat Risk Forecast, This Is a Good Weekend to Stay Indoors in Fresno

2 days ago

Trump Says Intel Has Agreed to Deal for US to Take 10% Equity Stake

2 days ago

Epstein Associate Maxwell Says She Never Saw Trump Behave Inappropriately

2 days ago

Pew: US Immigrant Population Declines for First Time in Nearly 60 Years

2 days ago

Powell, Citing Jobs Risk, Opens Door to Cuts but Doesn’t Commit

2 days ago

FBI Agents Search Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton’s Home, Source Says

2 days ago

Gaza City Officially in Famine, With Hunger Spreading, Says Global Hunger Monitor

2 days ago

Gavin Newsom’s Redistricting Plan Is on Its Way to Voters. What You Need to Know

3 days ago
Virus-Sapped Bus Lines See Road to Ruin Without Federal Help
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 20, 2020

Share

LEWISTON, Maine — The nation’s 3,000 or so private bus lines — and the millions of people who rely on them for cheap, basic travel — fret that they’ll go under without the same kind of federal help trains and planes are enjoying as a pandemic-immobilized America tries to get back to work and play.

Buses, integral to the transit network, serve a multitude of purposes as they shuttle around 600 million people annually, nearly twice the U.S. population. They take college students home for the weekend; they take businesspeople and tourists to airports and on fall color tours; they take gamblers and sports fans to casinos and stadiums.

“I think there’s going to be several companies, if not dozens or even hundreds, that six months from now are going to run out of money and are not going to have any other options to weather the storm.” — Jeff Greteman, chief executive officer of Windstar Lines, which operates in the Midwest and Florida

They provide charter trips and are also increasingly vital to the work commute, especially in congested areas like San Francisco and New York City. They employ about 100,000 people — many of whom are furloughed at the moment — and generate more than $200 billion in travel and tourism revenue, according to the American Bus Association.

More than 95% of the nation’s private fleet is shut down, said Peter Pantuso, the trade group’s leader.

Larry Prelle, of National Park, New Jersey, had hoped to take the Megabus to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in the nation’s capital, but pandemic restrictions canceled both the bus and the festival.

“I know some of them aren’t surviving the shutdown. A couple down here that were charter buses are just gone,” Prelle said. “They’ll never be seen from again.”

Rail lines, public transit systems and the airline industry received billions in aid as part of the federal coronavirus relieft act. The private bus industry, however, has largely been left to fend for itself.

The industry has called on the government to provide $15 billion in grants and loans to help it weather stay-at-home orders that have idled their buses for two months in some regions.

“I think there’s going to be several companies, if not dozens or even hundreds, that six months from now are going to run out of money and are not going to have any other options to weather the storm,” said Jeff Greteman, chief executive officer of Windstar Lines, which operates in the Midwest and Florida.

Buses play a key role in the economy because of support they provide to other businesses, such as hotels, said Don DeVivo, president of Dattco, which operates in New England.

Operators Have Lobbied Congress and Rallied in Washington

Restaurants, attractions and tour group destinations rely on them to shuttle large numbers of people around unfamiliar areas while on vacation. They take college sports teams — and game day fans who spend money on everything from tickets to beer — to and from their destinations.

The industry, the senators said, faces “a long road to recovery” and is missing out at a critical time. School, camp and tour groups in the spring and summer are reliable customers, and those activities are largely canceled this year.

Bus operators have lobbied Congress and rallied this month in Washington, drawing more than 1,000 motor coaches from as far as the West Coast.

Sens. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, have called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to provide assistance.

The industry, the senators said, faces “a long road to recovery” and is missing out at a critical time. School, camp and tour groups in the spring and summer are reliable customers, and those activities are largely canceled this year.

“We must ensure that the motorcoach industry is still there for our communities when this pandemic has passed,” Collins and Reed said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment.

In Maine, Northeast Charter of Lewiston, which operates 27 motor coaches, 25 school buses, and another 10 shuttle buses, has not had any business since March 16.

Every booking since then has been canceled, said owner Scott Riccio, who participated in the Washington rally. The same goes for all June trips, he said, and many already for July, August and September.

While other transportation sectors can get federal grants and loans, bus lines have only the Paycheck Protection Program, he said. That program, which helps keep workers on the payroll, will eventually run out.

If help doesn’t arrive soon, the industry fears many companies will go under, creating a transportation vacuum that would be hard to fill and depriving the public of a cheap travel option.

“This industry is being devastated,” Riccio said. “There’s no one working. There’s no revenue. Zero.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff

DON'T MISS

Why Epstein’s Furious Grip on Washington Holds

DON'T MISS

US Envoy Meets Netanyahu on Lebanon and Syria, Israeli Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Gerry Spence, Renowned for Courtroom Victories and Unique Style, Dead at 96

DON'T MISS

Pentagon Working on Plans for Military Deployment in Chicago, Washington Post Reports

DON'T MISS

Widespread Protests Held in Australia to Support Palestinians

DON'T MISS

VP Vance Says Russia Has Made Significant Concessions Toward Ukraine Peace Deal

DON'T MISS

Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa

DON'T MISS

Howard University President to Step Down This Month

DON'T MISS

Hollywood’s Biggest AI Debut? Las Vegas Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’

UP NEXT

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

UP NEXT

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

UP NEXT

Wrongly Deported Migrant Abrego Released, May Be Detained Again

UP NEXT

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

UP NEXT

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

UP NEXT

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

UP NEXT

Trump Says Intel Has Agreed to Deal for US to Take 10% Equity Stake

UP NEXT

Texas Senate Debates Redistricting Bill, Is Expected to Pass It Easily

UP NEXT

Trump: DC Mayor Bowser Must Get Act Together or Won’t Be Mayor Anymore

Gerry Spence, Renowned for Courtroom Victories and Unique Style, Dead at 96

7 hours ago

Pentagon Working on Plans for Military Deployment in Chicago, Washington Post Reports

7 hours ago

Widespread Protests Held in Australia to Support Palestinians

7 hours ago

VP Vance Says Russia Has Made Significant Concessions Toward Ukraine Peace Deal

7 hours ago

Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa

7 hours ago

Howard University President to Step Down This Month

8 hours ago

Hollywood’s Biggest AI Debut? Las Vegas Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’

8 hours ago

Fresno State Bulldogs Can’t Find Answer for Daniels in Loss at Kansas

20 hours ago

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

1 day ago

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

1 day ago

Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff

Fresno police officers fatally shot a 35-year-old man armed with knives Saturday afternoon after a standoff at an apartment complex, authori...

44 minutes ago

Fresno police fatally shot Joseph Merical, 35, on Saturday, August 23, 2025, after a standoff at a west Fresno apartment complex. (Fresno PD)
44 minutes ago

Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff

U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019. New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
7 hours ago

Why Epstein’s Furious Grip on Washington Holds

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack attends an interview with Reuters in Beirut, Lebanon July 22, 2025. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

US Envoy Meets Netanyahu on Lebanon and Syria, Israeli Officials Say

Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos arrives at court with lawyer Gerry Spence. June 28, 1990. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Gerry Spence, Renowned for Courtroom Victories and Unique Style, Dead at 96

The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S, April 6, 2023. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Pentagon Working on Plans for Military Deployment in Chicago, Washington Post Reports

Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in the 'Nationwide March for Palestine' protest in Sydney, Australia, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
7 hours ago

Widespread Protests Held in Australia to Support Palestinians

Firefighters work at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Sknyliv on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine August 21, 2025. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

VP Vance Says Russia Has Made Significant Concessions Toward Ukraine Peace Deal

Smoke billows from the site of Israeli air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
7 hours ago

Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend