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The U.S. private motorcoach, school bus, and domestic passenger vessel industries have collectively furloughed or laid off an estimated 308,000 employee jobs over the last eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Bus Association (ABA), United Motorcoach Association (UMA), National School Transportation Association (NSTA), and Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) continues to urge Congress to include the bipartisan CERTS Act (S.4150/H.R. 7642) as part of any COVID-19 stimulus package.
Despite being critical industries, they have suffered unprecedented and catastrophic economic losses over the past eight months due to the drastic declines in job commuting, group travel, and school closures. Unlike other modes of transportation, such as airlines, rail and public transit, bus and vessel industries have not received direct economic relief to date. Many companies have already shuttered and many more are on the brink of closing their doors forever.
According to the associations:
Prior to COVID, the three industries collectively employed more than 460,000 trained and experienced employees to deliver their passengers safely to and from their destinations. The 308,000 drivers, captains, deck hands and mechanics that have been furloughed deserve relief as much as pilots, flight attendants, airplane mechanics, rail engineers and public transit workers that have already received at least some form of direct support enabling them to keep their jobs over the same time period.
The CERTS Act would create a much needed $10 billion grant and loan program administered by the Department of Treasury to prioritize relief for these employees and assist with expenses related to debt service on vehicles, vessels, insurance, rent, utilities and equipment in order to operate safely for these capital-intensive companies. With 56 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate and 235 in the House (as of October 2, 2020), the CERTS Act has more support than ANY pandemic relief bill that has been introduced.
The U.S. motorcoach industry provides nearly 600 million passenger trips per year, just under annual passenger trips made by airlines, ensuring vital intercity connections, charter and tour operations supporting critical military and emergency evacuation work along with the travel and tourism industry. The US private school bus industry provides nearly 40 percent of the nation’s school bus service in 200,000 yellow school buses to 26 million children every day that rely on the school bus as the only way to get and from school in the safest way possible. The U.S. domestic passenger vessel industry carries more than 200 million passengers annually and includes ferries, dinner boats, sightseeing and excursion vessels, whale watch and wildlife tour boats, sailing vessels, and small U.S. overnight cruise ships.
ABA, UMA, NSTA, and PVA urge Congress to swiftly enact the CERTS Act to preserve jobs and these critical industries.
[10.05.20]
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Xplorex IT Enterprise Technology Magazine has selected Chosen Payments for its 2020 Top 10 Retail Solution Providers list. The positioning is based on evaluation of Chosen Payments offerings for unique applications specializing in Retail technology.
The annual list of companies is selected by a panel of experts and members of Xplorex IT’s editorial board to recognize and to promote technology entrepreneurship.
“The companies selected for our Top 10 Retail Solution Providers 2020 list are an elite group of companies whose products and solutions are changing their respective industries,” said Xplorex IT Managing Editor Adam Goldstein. “We are proud to feature Chosen Payments in this edition for its effort in helping Retail and other major industries to easily and quickly adopt technology as a core part of their business. Chosen Payments’s solutions continued to break new ground within the past year benefiting its customers worldwide.”
In other news, CEO Jeff Brodsly recently interviewed Brett Barenholtz of Above All Transportation/Boston Car/ETS for his video series Chosen Scoop. The two chatted about their pandemic experience, both professionally and personally. Barenholtz shared his business tips for working with affiliates as well as the importance of networking. They also shared their ideas about work-life balance, staying fit, and eating well. This and previous episodes can be viewed here.
Visit chosenpayments.com for more information.
[10.02.20]
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The Minnesota Chauffeured Transportation Association (MCTA) held its monthly meeting via Zoom on September 29. The online event afforded guests and members the opportunity to have a casual get together and discuss industry events and their current state of affairs.
MCTA President Gus Ortis of Executive Transportation kicked things off with an overview of Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) news. Currently, the state is in the process of privatizing vehicle inspection, which is supported by the association. Ortis and MCTA staffer Leslie Rosedahl of Rosedahl Public Affairs said that they’ve been in regular contact with MnDOT attorney Laura Roads, who assured them that the transition is moving forward, albeit slowly. Also of concern to the MCTA is the move by Governor Tim Walz to change state emissions standards to match those in California. While most operators run fleets well under 10 years old, the new standards would have major consequences for companies that run buses. The MCTA is keeping close tabs on this new legislation and will work to fight it.
The second half of the meeting was an open forum, where members discussed their recent challenges and successes. While most operators are still clearly struggling in the COVID environment, there has been some noted improvement in getting vehicles back on the road. One member reported having success with selling vehicles at auction for a fair rate, providing some much-needed cash flow. CD Editor Rob Smentek was invited to say a few words about the upcoming CD/NLA Virtual being held online November 17-18.
MCTA Partner Member Jay McCloskey of Transportation Insurance Professionals provided an overview of what’s happening on the insurance side of the luxury ground transportation industry. He reported that some companies are not picking up any new business for 2021, and small operators, in particular, are going to see a potential sizable increase in their per-vehicle rates. On the plus side, many companies are working with operators to temporarily remove cars from their policy. McCloskey said that in the current market owners should consider not necessarily seeking the best rate from an insurance company, but evaluating who is going to be the best partner for the long haul.
The MCTA is planning an in-person event for their next meeting, and will provide a location and details soon.
Visit mnlimo.org for more information.
[10.01.20]