Yahoo: Bus Companies Are Struggling Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic Due to Low Demand
Bus Companies Are Struggling Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic Due to Low Demand
Yahoo
Joe Price
December 23, 2020
As exponential increases in COVID-19 cases sees travel plans cancelled across the nation, bus companies are struggling to adapt to these changes.
NPR reports that the financial impact of the low demand for bus travel, on account of either lockdowns or safety concerns, could cause long-lasting damage to these companies. Since the start of the pandemic, demand for travel via bus has fallen by over 80 percent. Health officials have urged people to avoid using public transport when possible, encouraging everyone to take extra consideration into any travel plans.
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President of the American Bus Association, Peter Pantuso, added that the industry is currently operating “at about 10 percent capacity.”
Even with multiple COVID-19 vaccines getting approval, there's still no clear end in sight for the pandemic. Companies aren't clear on when they can expect demand to return to normal, or if it even will. Pantuso has noted that around 85 percent of people who work in the bus industry have either been furloughed or laid off.
