By Beacon Staff
The local owners and managers of the Burlington Trailways motorcoach company are in Washington D.C. right now (May 13), driving around the nation’s capital with an urgent plea for help.
More than 1,000 bus drivers from 47 states drove across the country to join the “Motorcoach Rolling for Awareness.” That comes out to about nine miles of circling buses, participating in a mobile rally organized by the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association.
They are seeking $15 billion in government assistance to stay afloat during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, along with modifications to programs to support small businesses and their payrolls.
About 90 percent of bus operations throughout the country are small and family-owned (including the one in Burlington), and unlike airlines and cruise lines, those businesses were not singled out for financial assistance in the most recent coronavirus aid package.
Burlington Trailways executive assistant Nicole Fritz, president Ron Moore, executive vice president Matt Moore, and general manager Mark Moore arrived in Washington D.C. this morning and live-streamed the event on the company’s Facebook page.
The motorcoach industry employs 100,000 employees, and according to a press release, “do everything from evacuating victims of hurricanes and wildfires to transporting thousands of America’s military troops all around the nation.”
Though the motorcoach industry is comprised mostly of small businesses, their combined size is massive. Nearly 600 million motorcoach trips occur in the US each year, 100 million fewer than the domestic airline industry.