The application portal for the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) grant program is now open, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, ranking member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, announced Monday.
A total of $2 billion is available to help offset the losses companies incurred during the pandemic. The program, which Collins co-authored, is open to bus, motorcoach, and passenger vessel companies.
Any company that applies and also meets the eligibility criteria will receive funding. Financial awards will be based on a formula that provides each applicant with a proportionate share of the funding.
“Bus and motorcoach companies, ferries, and tour boats sustain good-paying jobs and provide critical transportation services,” Collins said. “The COVID-19 pandemic took an enormous toll on these businesses, many of which are small and family-owned.”
Privately-owned school bus companies suffered significant losses when schools implemented virtual learning and curtailed extracurricular and afterschool programs. These companies transport many of the more than 23 million schoolchildren who take the bus to school.
Motorcoach companies are mostly small and family-owned. There are more than 3,000 nationwide, and they were forced to furlough or laid off thousands of employees after tours, school field trips, and college sports seasons were canceled.
The passenger vessel industry experienced the cancellation of recreational tours and the grounding of ferries.