Support does not reach all businesses, and uncertainty increases among workers.

Ricardo Morán is a driver for a tourist travel company where he has worked for more than 14 years; This has allowed him to travel and enjoy countless places.

"I take people to the casinos, to Las Vegas for a walk," said Moran, an employee of Royal American Tours in Los Angeles. “But I've also been to Salt Lake in the state of Utah; or to the city of El Paso, in Texas. "

However, following the pandemic of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Morán, like thousands of employees, has been seriously affected as the charter bus industry had to close entirely as it was not considered an essential business.

“I already feel desperate. I like to work and right now I feel like a useless, "said Morán who has two children. "Right now there is no work for what I do and I have been living on what the government gives me."

Dozens of buses participated in a demonstration on Thursday. (Supplied)

Morán explained that in their work they do not know when they will return and without clear answers the uncertainty increases.

For this reason, the driver joined a group of colleagues on Thursday morning to participate in a bus rally to raise awareness of the havoc they face and to ask for government help.

The charter bus industry stopped on March 12, leaving entire fleets of parked buses.

Owners of these companies claim that they have been forgotten by the state and federal government, while cruise lines and airlines are being rescued.

Jacob Madanyan, owner of Royal American Tours, said his company is seriously affected and its 10 charter buses have not moved. Additionally, it has a fleet of minibuses, luxury sedans, SUVs and vans.

"I have 10 drivers for the buses and two additional people who go with them on the trips," Madanyan said. “There are also the mechanics and those who clean the trucks. Now they are all unemployed. "

Madanyan explained that in his company approximately 80% of his employees are Latino.

"They are the most dedicated employees," said the businessman. "Now these hardworking people are just sitting at home, without hope and without guidance."

The latest estimates from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) indicate that the charter bus industry employs about 30,000 people nationwide; from cleaners to drivers and management, many of whom are now unemployed.

At the rally, Madanyan said they partnered with at least 12 other charter bus companies. They traveled on the Los Angeles freeways and with messages on their buses protesters reminded the government that their industry is important.

They need to be rescued

Statistics show that the charter bus industry serves more than 660 million passengers per year. Many travelers cannot afford to travel by plane or private car, and charter buses are the solution.

Activists said that as the cheapest way to travel in the entire country, charter buses are vital for both personal and business travel.

Madayan stressed that they have taken countless people to their destinations including military groups, music teams, and political campaigns.

Much of the charter bus industry is made up of small businesses; Like Royal American Tours, charter bus companies generally have a regional focus and specialize in certain types of transportation.

Madanyan indicated that his company has 60% activity in Southern California and the rest leave the state and can travel throughout the country.

The businessman said that he was offered a government loan but without being able to start the business, it is useless.

"If we take a loan, we don't know how we can repay it because, although the interest is low, there is still interest and we will be out of our tourist projection for the next 12 months or so," said Madanyan.

In addition, he emphasized that the loans are too small for the expenses of his company.

“For example, my company's general expenses are approximately $ 70,000 a month. If they give us $ 20,000 for some type of loan, that will be only for 10 days; But we have been out of work for more than two months and we have many months ahead of us that we do not know if we will have an income, "said the businessman.

For this reason, drivers and charter bus companies are asking for financial assistance tailored to their needs, as has been done with airlines and cruises.

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