Coronavirus In Minnesota: With Motorcoaches Sitting Idle, Owners Look For Federal Help To Get Rolling Again

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's transportation industry is looking for more federal help to get their livelihoods rolling again.

Motorcoaches and transportation services that typically carry high school students, sports and tourism groups across the state and the country are sitting idle right now. Elizabeth Hall runs John Hall's Alaska Cruises and Tours based in Lake City, Minnesota.

She told WCCO her business has lost millions since March as customers have canceled their tours. They don't expect to make any revenue until next March. Hall hopes the federal government will recognize the industry as essential and turn to this type of transportation to help in rebuilding the economy.

"The motorcoach industry is a lot like the middle child -- we're quiet we've been around for so long a lot of the businesses are 40, 50, 60 years old family operations. We go about our business. We're expected to be there. In a way business model overlooked our industry as a whole was overlooked," Hall said.

A dozen motorcoaches from Minnesota will drive to Washington D.C. next week to take part in a rally outside the White House on Wednesday. They'll represent nearly 3,000 of these type of companies across the country that move some 600 million passengers a year.

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