The motorcoach industry has been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa has many motorcoach operators, several of which are family owned. I have been in frequent communication with these Iowans and I am learning that they are quickly coming to the point of making decisions on whether they can stay in business.
Motorcoaches provide passenger transportation services to all Americans, providing over 600 million passenger trips annually across the country. By comparison, airlines provided about 925 million passenger trips in 2019.
While most other modes of transportation have received specific funding to help through the pandemic, the motorcoach industry has not. I spoke with Secretary Mnuchin about this matter and have relayed the concerns from these Iowa companies to the relevant committees here in the Senate.
The government relies on the motorcoach industry to help move troops and also evacuate people to safety during disasters. However, with passenger bookings being non-existent and few charters being scheduled, this leaves little hope of a rebound yet this year. The industry may not survive to provide this service in the future if they don’t receive support.
