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Virus-sapped bus lines see road to ruin without federal help
Source: Associated Press
Virus-sapped bus lines see road to ruin without federal help
By PATRICK WHITTLE
May 20, 2020
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — 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.
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.
-snip-
By PATRICK WHITTLE
May 20, 2020
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — 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.
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.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/421f23681dc8320d025629af881fc3a4
