An Open Letter to California Congressional Delegation:
We are California’s motorcoach industry. We are family and independently-owned businesses you represent, transporting 24 million residents and tourists annually across the region. From our national parks to city centers, we are visible in every community and vital to America’s transportation network.
Before COVID-19, we employed 9,367 hardworking individuals across California and contributed $1.7 billion in economic revenue.
Like many transportation industries, that has all changed and virtually every bus company across America has stopped operating. We support the public health restrictions put in place to help flatten the spread of COVID-19, but when people emerge from this crisis, we want our employees to have jobs and bring visitors back here. But today, our future is very uncertain.
Before Congress left Washington, DC for a one-month hiatus they passed a $2 trillion aid package to help large and small business. That package included nearly $100 billion for every mode of passenger transportation (airlines, Amtrak, transit) except for private buses.
Our voice in Congress was ignored, leaving our industry and our employees on the side of the road.
As the federal government focuses on recovery, we urge you to remember that we bring your constituents to work; your kids on school trips; evacuate your citizens during natural disasters; and we drive tourism in our state…literally.
We connect America. If we go away, those experiences go away. We need your support now.
Sueng Kim, LA Coach Inc
Melissa Romero, Bay Area Charters
Phil Rudnick, Valet Express
Chris Riddington, Classic Charter, Inc.
Richard Dorr, Discovery Charters
Linn Li, Gary Express Inc.
John Neumann, Neumann Transportation
Vyacheslav Panchenko, SIV Transport LLC
Shiloh Foust, Delta Charter Bus
Tom Giddens, Pacific Coachways Charter Services, Inc
Victoria Cole, American Stage Tours
Xavier Valls, Julia Group
Robert Vaughn, BEST-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide
Eddie Wong, Fast Deer Bus Charter
Robert Saucedo, Carreras Tours
Rigo Gonzalez, San Jose Charters, Inc
Jodi Merritt, H&L Charter Co, Inc.
Eric Gregory, Certified Transportation Services, Inc.
Matthew Strack, StrackGround
Eduardo Sanchez, Mex-American Entertainment Group Inc
Nick Weathers, Specialty Coaches
Mark Wilkerson, Gold Coast Tours
Curtis Riggs, VIA Adventures Inc
Nick Benavides, Storm Trooper Coaches
David Uziel, UrbanBCN Worldwide
Terry Fischer, Transportation Charter Services Inc
and the entire California motorcoach industry.
