After Coach USA Files for Bankruptcy Legislator Friedman Urges Company not to Leave Commuters Without Bus Service

Rockland County Legislator Joel Friedman is urging Coach USA to ensure that local residents who commute into and from New York City, New Jersey and elsewhere are not left stranded by the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Legislator Friedman, who chairs the County Legislature’s Special Committee on Transit, said he is concerned about the company’s intentions because many Rockland commuters are nearly completely dependent on the bus company’s services.

“For decades, Rockland commuters have relied on Coach USA to get to work and home again, but now we are learning the company has filed for bankruptcy and intends to sell its Rockland Coaches and Shortline bus services to a new owner,” Legislator Friedman said. “Any interruption in service could spell disaster for the Rockland commuters who have almost no other way to get to work.”

He pointed out that bus service is key for local commuters because Rockland still has no one-seat train ride into Manhattan.

According to a June 11 statement, Coach USA filed voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to “facilitate sale processes to preserve jobs, ensure continued service and maximize the value of its businesses.”

The company states it has entered into asset purchase agreements with Bus Company Holdings US, an affiliate of the Renco Group, Inc., for certain bus lines, including Rockland, Shortline, and 10 additional lines, as well as another company for four lines, and is looking to sell the remainder of its businesses.

In its statement, Coach blames a drop in ridership that has not recovered since the pandemic.

Legislator Friedman said any decline in bus service will only convince some to stop commuting into Manhattan altogether, further reducing revenues to the bus company and increasing the problems confronting NYC due to fewer overall workers returning to their offices since the pandemic.

“Coach needs to provide a plan for how bus service will be maintained before they can be allowed to walk away from providing this vital mass transit function,” Legislator Friedman said.