Thank you for participating in our BANY Zoom Meeting
yesterday, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. A special thanks to Peter
Pantuso and Ken Presley, for participating and giving us updates.
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Onondaga Coach Tours - Moving America For Over 65 Years
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View Onondaga Coach Tours Video Message. To all fellow motorcoach operators across the United States and the world who are affected by COVID-19. We stand together!
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Action Requested
Lisa Bernstein from M&L Transit Systems in Massachusetts reached out to the association and is looking to combine all congressional letters from the motorocoach and tour/travel industry and its associations together to submit as a package to show the strength of our messages. BANY has sent our congressional delegation letters to Lisa and we urge you to do the same if you would like, her email is
lisa@mltsi.com.
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The American Bus Association and United Motorcoach Association invite you to join us for a rally at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Event Specifics:
When:
May 13th
rolling out at 10:30 a.m. ET (please note this is a rescheduled date from May 6th)
Where:
Staging and event will take place in Washington DC –
see route
Purpose:
This is a positive event showcasing how our big buses and small businesses move America. Buses will be decorated with informative signs about our industry and the groups we carry, the economic impact we have and the people we employ.
Press notice:
Click
here
to read the press release announcing the Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness
Cost:
$20 parking fee for staging area
BANY will be sending out a press release to newspapers across NY State, please let us know if you will be attending so we can list your company:
BANY@BANYBus.org
Current NY State Companies Attending: Anytime Coach Lines, Bedore Tours Inc., D&A Enterprises, Hale Transportation, Hampton Jitney, Inc., L&S Journeys, Monsey Tours, Onondaga Coach Tours, Coaches, Inc., Tonche Transit, Yankee Trails
Out of State BANY Members Attending: ABC Companies, Anderson Coach & Travel, DATTCO, Inc., Flagship Trailways, Motor Coach Industries, Panorama Tours, Inc., Peter Pan Bus Lines, Starr Bus Charters & Tours, Temsa North America, Trans-Bridge Lines
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Neal, DeFazio Urge Trump Administration to Support Motorcoach Industry Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Ways and Means Committee
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR) requested Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell consider providing at least $5 billion in loans to over-the-road bus carriers under a program recently enacted by the CARES Act. The Economic Stabilization and Assistance to Severely Distressed Sectors of the U.S. Economy program allocates $454 billion to help struggling companies, such as those in the motorcoach industry.
“The motorcoach industry is not only an important part of the nation’s transportation network, it is also an important part of the economy, providing over 88,000 good-paying full-time equivalent jobs,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, today the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the motorcoach industry. Based on reports from motorcoach companies, between 80 and 95 percent of motorcoach trips have been cancelled or are simply not being booked due to the pandemic, and scheduled service operations are down 80-90%.”
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ABA's
BusesMoveAmerica.com
ABA has added more information to
www.busesmoveamerica.com
for you to utilize. They now have a
newsroom
where you can see all the stories written about COVD-19 and our industry. There is a press release template for you to download and use to reach out to you local media. They have also uploaded an
email template so our travel and tour members
can write Congress about the affects of COVID-19 on your business. Under our
Tourism Strong
section, our travel and tour members will find resources, helpful links and link to a Tour Supplier Database on what is happening at your favorite destinations.
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As COVID-19 Crisis Lingers U.S. Motorcoach Industry Seeing Devastating Losses
ABA
The American Bus Association Foundation released a
report
today that showcases the effect COVID-19 is having on the U.S. motorcoach industry - an essential sector in the transportation industry.
Nearly the entire industry is currently shut down in every corner of the country. Most charter and tour companies have closed their doors, commuter operations have mostly stopped running, and scheduled service operations are operating at approximately 15 percent of capacity. The industry is seeing a fallout between 80-90 percent of cancelled trips and very few future bookings.
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COVID-19 Economic Relief Primer for the
Ground Transportation Industry
Matthew W. Daus, Esq., Partner & Chair of the Transportation Law Practice at Windels Marx
For the past month, the ground transportation industry has been facing challenges like it has never seen before. With few exceptions, business has ground to a halt. No one had contingency plans in place that could have prepared their businesses for what has evolved. Aside from the heartbreaking loss of life, everyone has had to rapidly adapt and respond to this crisis, making economic decisions that could have grave consequences. Now, in addition to safety and health concerns, the top issue facing transportation companies is how to stay in business when there is no business for the foreseeable future. Since the pandemic began, loan and grant programs at the federal, state, and local level have been enacted – and significantly expanded – to provide critical aid to help businesses, sole proprietors, and independent contractors stay afloat with cash relief to retain payroll and pay expenses. In addition, the federal government has thrown other lifelines to businesses and workers in the form of expanded unemployment compensation, increased paid sick and family leave, and business tax credits.
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UMA Online Weekly Town Halls Thursdays at 2:00PM
UMA's hosted online Town Hall meetings will be held weekly on Thursdays at 2:00PM. Join UMA to discuss the most current issues that matter to operators.
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New Resources on COVID-19 on BANY's Website
Head to the resources page on BANY's website for a listing of agencies and resources to help you with COVID-19.
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Democrats Urge U.S. to Provide at Least $5 Billion in Loans to Bus Industry
The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Two senior U.S. House Democrats on Friday asked the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve to direct at least $5 billion in loans to struggling intercity bus companies because of the coronavirus pandemic.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal and Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio said 80% to 95% of motorcoach trips have been canceled or are not being booked, and scheduled service operations are down 80% to 90% and over 3,000 companies are affected.
"If bus companies go out of business, hundreds of thousands of travelers who rely on buses to get to their jobs and reach vital services, intermodal connections and educational facilities, especially in rural America, risk losing what may be their only means of transportation," they wrote.
Treasury did not immediately provide a comment.
Peter Pan Bus Lines, which serves 100 communities in the U.S. Northeast, has halted all service through May 15. Greyhound, the largest provider of U.S. intercity bus transportation, has sharply reduced its schedule. It typically carries around 16 million passengers a year.
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Bus Association of New York | 125 State Street, Albany, New York 12207| 518.426.3233
BANY@BANYBus.org | www.BANYBus.org
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