Arrow Stage Lines, other motorcoach companies, looking to Congress for help

Charter bus company Arrow Stage Lines offers shuttle service and travel for business and events.

“Any place where there’s a group of people, a large group of people, we usually take people to those events," President and CEO Steve Busskohl said.

The Omaha-headquartered company said it has 12 locations in seven states, including four in Nebraska.

Like many businesses, it and other motorcoach companies said they have been hit hard by the pandemic restrictions.

“We’ve had to furlough about 95 percent of our people, of our staff, and we’ve basically had to park 95 percent of our equipment, our motorcoaches," Busskohl said.  "This, of course, has led to just a real severe economic hardship.  Something like I’ve never seen in my 40 years of being in the business.”

While the the transportation industry at large has been suffering due to less travel, Arrow Stage Lines and other motorcoach businesses said they were left out of economic stimulus funding from the CARES Act.

He said motorcoach industry representatives are asking for $11 billion in grants and $5 billion in loans to keep businesses afloat until things get back to normal.

“We don’t think we’re any more deserving than anybody else," Busskohl said.  "It’s just that we’re unique and we do feel like we’ve been overlooked.”

He said he's contacted congressmen about his industry's plight, but that he hasn't seen any traction.  He said while motorcoach companies haven't given up hope, they need assistance soon because things are getting critical.