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ABA President Peter Pantuso
In an email message to American Bus Association (ABA) members, President and CEO Peter Pantuso urged those in the motorcoach industry to stay vigilant as the association continues to make their voice heard to members of Congress. Although Congress is currently in recess, the industry is looking ahead to what the next expected stimulus package—dubbed CARES 2.0 or Coronavirus 4 by many—should include to protect the rest of the travel sector beyond the aid that airlines received. In late March after the passage of the CARES Act, the association applauded the efforts of Congress but also drew attention to the majority of small, family-owned motorcoach companies that have had to drastically reduce staff and temporarily cease operations altogether.
As a result, ABA, in partnership with The Bus Network, debuted a new website, BusesMoveAmerica.com, for members to stay involved in the fight with templates and Congressional contact information, as well as critical COVID-19 resources when they need them the most.
From his letter:
“We are there during hurricanes to take people out of harm’s way. We connect rural towns to city centers. We help workers get to their job. We carry U.S. servicemen and women to and from deployments. We are there to take groups to events, rallies, and concerts. We take kids to school and on field trips. We take families, friends, and groups to see all of America’s amazing sites. Our industry literally moves America.
“You are an essential part of the America’s transportation network. You are the connector in a multi-modal society. Our industry completes nearly 600 million passenger trips annually, nearly as many as the domestic airline trips. We bring $237 billion to the economy. America cannot bounce back from this pandemic without buses. Help us educate Congress on what life would look like if our industry fails. We are TOO IMPORTANT to fail.”
Visit buses.org or busesmoveamerica.com for more information.
[04.10.20]
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In a hopeful and optimistic video to members on April 4, COO and Executive Director Scott Solombrino announced that the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA’s) convention, originally scheduled for July, had been postponed due to COVID-19. The convention, fortuitously themed “Together,” will now expected to take place November 7-11 at The Colorado Convention Center in Denver, although GBTA leadership will reevaluate in July based on global conditions at that time.
“We never could have anticipated how appropriate this year’s convention theme was going to be. When we picked it [in November], I wanted to send the message that the GBTA has always been about being together, and it was really simple. Who would ever think that we would end up with a pandemic and it would become as ironic as it is today,” Solombrino said.
Reaffirming his commitment to focus on the crisis at hand, Solombrino detailed a number of initiatives GBTA is taking help the many sectors of business travel that the association represents—including chauffeured transportation. Solombrino is the former president and CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach.
“While there’s so much out there that’s challenging us at such a rapid rate, some things don’t change, and that’s the mission here of GBTA. We want you to know how we're going to take care of you. … Let us give you the tools that we have in our toolbox to help make your life a little bit easier,” he said.
Some additional highlights of the video:
- GBTA will be issuing “honorary” 12-month memberships to any member who has been laid off or furloughed; membership will include access to all of GBTA’s education products, resources, research, and daily new brief; can rejoin the association at appropriate level at end of furlough or after securing a new position
- Updating the GBTA travel jobs board, now moved to the association’s homepage, to “help displaced members find their way back into the travel sector”
- A focus on continuing development, including webinars and podcasts; a debut video series called the Industry Forum Series launched on April 9 featuring an interview with Southwest Airlines President Tom Nealon, which is available on the GBTA’s website and Youtube channel
- The robust and active community that is available to members through the GBTA Hub
The full video message can be viewed at gbta.org or here.
[04.10.20]
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- Category: Industry News
The United Motorcoach Association (UMA) hosted its weekly online Town Hall this past Thursday, April 2, with lots of updates on the CARES Act and other protections for small businesses during the coronavirus crisis. The call was led by UMA Chairman Jeff Polzien, Interim President and CEO Larry Killingsworth, and Vice President Ken Presley, who welcomed input and tons of questions from members.
The new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package and enhanced funding of the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) available through the Small Business Administration were top of mind. Although there was some disappointment that Congress didn’t specifically recognize the motorcoach industry in the three emergency stimulus packages thus far, Polzien was overall hopeful that the results will help members.
UMA Chairman Jeff Polzien
“What we got in this bill [CARES Act] is probably better than what we asked for,” Polzien said. He added that the association “isn’t done” pressuring Congress to help the industry, and that the stimulus passed thus far is a bridge to get the industry working again. Killingsworth added that the next stimulus package (dubbed Coronavirus 4) could be passed through Congress as early as the end of April or the beginning of May—as Congress is currently in recess—and should address the long-term health and restart of the economy.
UMA Vice President Ken Presley
Presley offered an overview of both the PPP and EIDL process. He noted that operators can apply for both, but that the funds could not be used for the same thing. PPP, which can be forgivable, was designed primarily to cover payroll costs with additional allowances for rent, mortgage interest, and utilities for an eight-week period, while EIDLs are for other operational expenses such as insurance and vehicle payments. He said that the requirements to qualify for EIDLs have been relaxed, including proof that you’ve exhausted all other resources or lines of credit, and that repayment terms were up to 30 years. So-called micro EIDL loans may not require collateral. Presley also highlighted the $10,000 emergency grant to cover immediate operating costs, which is supposed to be received within three days of approval, regardless of whether the business is approved for an EIDL.
UMA Interim President and CEO Larry Killingsworth
Although the final application for the PPP was not available until the day after the call, several UMA members expressed their experience thus far regarding preliminary talks with their banks—some noting that the application wasn’t difficult or time-consuming while others commented that some banks (Chase and Bank of America) were requiring an already established relationship with the institution in order to file with them.
Killingsworth also offered advice on what businesses could do now to help prepare for the future. He recommended reaching out to customers on a personal level not only to ensure that they are aware that the company is staying current with new cleaning SOPs, but to check in and foster that relationship. He said that the more customers see that you care, the more it will be appreciated when things get moving. He also suggested that owners stay in touch with furloughed team members, especially regarding any financial avenues the company is pursuing through the CARES Act, to “make them feel like they are still a part of the organization.” For those team members that are working, he advised “getting creative with their time” with cross-training, online learning, updating SOPs and other procedures, and sharing their good ideas to improve the business.
Town Halls are held every Thursday at 2PM ET. Information to join is available here.
[04.07.20]