Heads up, motorcoach operators: The deadline is rapidly approaching to apply for the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Program. The grant program was designed to provide relief to bus and motorcoach operators who lost 25 percent or more of revenue during COVID to cover payroll costs, but also acquisition of services; equipment, including PPE and COVID protection measures; continued operations and maintenance of existing equipment and facilities; rent; leases; insurance; and interest on regular debt service.
Full program guidelines and FAQs can be found here.
Application Deadline: The CERTS portal will be open for applications through July 19, 2021. To be considered for a CERTS grant, an application must be completed, electronically signed, and submitted through the portal by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 19. After the deadline, the portal will not accept new applications, and users will not be able to finish draft applications in the portal.
Accessing the CERTS Portal: To gain access to the CERTS portal and submit an application, a company representative must first register with a username and password through the ID.me identity service. Interested companies may register to obtain an ID.me username and password and access the CERTS portal here.
The IRS has also released a bulletin that addresses any questions that operators have about the grants and taxation, which can be found here.
Matt Daus of Windels Marx gives a rundown of the program here.
[07.13.21]