B.C. inter-city bus services and regional airports are getting assistance to maintain or restart services with an injection of cash from the provinceB次元官网网址檚 COVID-19 business recovery fund.

Bus services and airports can begin applying for a $27 million fund to keep them going until travel restrictions are eased later this year, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said March 9. Bus services have a fund of $10.7 million available to them, and regional airports can apply to a $16.5 million fund to cover operating costs.

B次元官网网址淭odayB次元官网网址檚 announcement is the life-raft our sector has been looking for,B次元官网网址� said John Wilson, president of WilsonB次元官网网址檚 Transportation, the Victoria-based bus company that picked up some of the inter-city routes that were dropped by Greyhound in 2018.

Premier John Horgan said regional airports are critical for air ambulance and other links to remote communities, and like bus services, they continue to face costs to stay functional.

B次元官网网址淭hese operators have seen a drastic decline in their revenues as people have been staying in place, but theyB次元官网网址檝e stayed in place themselves,B次元官网网址� Horgan said.

Heather Bell, chair of the B.C. Aviation Council, said regional airports generate almost all of their revenue by user fees, and have been among the hardest hit industries due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. But they still need to meet regulations and maintain their runways, fire safety response and terminal services for medical and other essential travel.

Bell said airports need to be ready for this summer when travel restrictions are likely to be eased, because when travel is allowed, B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 not going to come back as a flood, itB次元官网网址檚 going to come back as a tsunami.B次元官网网址�

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