80,000 Furloughed as Bus Industry Grinds to a Halt
CNN
By Natasha Chen
October 25, 2020
Peter Pantuso, president and CEO of the American Bus Association, said, "I can't really identify for you why we have not been included."
The American Bus Association estimates private buses provide 600 million passenger trips a year, second only to commercial flights. Pantuso said 80,000 of the industry's 100,000 employees have been furloughed this year.
The American Bus Association said the industry usually sees $15 billion in revenue a year. In 2020, bus companies only brought in $4 billion. The motorcoach industry, along with the school bus industry and passenger water vessel companies are now collectively asking Congress to approve $10 billion in loans and grants.
"Every small business I think across America is hurting at some level," Pantuso said. "But there are very few other industries that are almost completely shut down with no hope of coming back for at least six months, next year, and then it'll be a slow recovery."