Burlington Trailways will be laying off a number of employees in Eastern Iowa, including in Cedar Rapids, as the company finalizes the discontinuation of its intercity bus service.
The layoffs, effective Oct. 18, include five employees at the Burlington Trailways location at 2818 Lippisch Place SW, on Eastern Iowa Airport-owned property near the airport itself.
Other layoffs include 47 workers in West Burlington, six in Burlington, a total of 13 at two locations in Davenport, and eight in Des Moines, according to an Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice posted Sept. 18.
According to a Sept. 5 report by the High Speed Trail Alliance, Burlington Trailways is ending its intercity bus service on Sept. 27, citing “high insurance costs, uncertain relationships with its partners (including Greyhound), and the outdated funding formula used by the federal government in supporting rural transportation services.”
Burlington Trailways will continue operate all tours and charters scheduled through Sept. 30, according to the Fort Madison-based Pen City Current. Burlington Trailways is pursuing a revised auto insurance quote, with the intention of operating tours and charters into 2026, the Current reports.
The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission addressed the issue at their meeting Monday morning, Sept. 22, approving a new lease agreement with Jefferson Lines for the Lippitch Place building. The month-to-month lease is effective immediately, and can be canceled by either party with 30 days’ notice, as airport leaders indicated at Monday’s meeting the property may be needed for future airport development.
The commission also approved a one-year service contract with Jefferson Lines to provide service to the Eastern Iowa Airport.
As a result of the agreement, customers can book bus tickets on Jefferson Lines from Cedar Rapids to several area destinations, including Iowa City, Davenport, Des Moines and Moline.
