National motorcoach rally planned to raise awareness of industry’s essential role

A parade of buses and motorcoaches will soon roll into the nation’s capital to highlight the essential role the industry plays in moving people, whether to school, work, events, or for travel.

The rally, Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness, is a joint effort by the industry’s two leading trade organizations, United Motorcoach Association and the American Bus Association.

Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness is “a once-in-a-lifetime event designed to get our industry back on the road,” UMA President/CEO Larry Killingsworth and ABA President/CEO Peter Pantuso, wrote in a joint letter sent to both associations’ members on April 24. Read the letter here.

The rally will take place at 11 a.m. May 13 when the coaches from across the country roll through Washington D.C. Each vehicle will carry positive messaging to raise awareness about the industry’s importance and the need for government support in the form of $15 billion of directed funds for “over-the-road bus carriers.

The plan is for participants to travel from their states in convoys to create local, regional and then national news coverage.

For members who can’t make the trip, there will be “donor” coaches available that can represent a business or state for a small fee. This service is being organized through the newly launched Ohio Motorcoach Association.

Bill Torres, at DC Trails, has taken the lead in coordinating the event’s logistics to ensure the participants have the proper permitting, routing and staging within D.C.

“This current letter and email campaigns are gaining traction, we must act now to raise awareness of the impact our industry has on the economy, public safety and disaster relief. It is time to get your coaches rolling again,” Killingsworth and Pantuso wrote in their letter to members.

More details about the event at busesmoveamerica.com.

This story was updated on April 29, 2020 to reflect a new date for the event due to a change in the schedule of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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