Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act

The Department of the Treasury Departmental Offices administers the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) program under Assistance Listing 21.028, a $2 billion grant initiative authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and targeting transportation sector businesses that sustained at least 25 percent annual revenue loss due to COVID-19.

The most recent posted opportunity (TREAS-CERTS-2021, dated May 6, 2021) solicited applications from motorcoach companies, school bus companies, passenger vessel companies, and pilotage companies. The application portal was scheduled to remain open for four weeks from its launch date, with applicants required to demonstrate COVID-19-related revenue decline of 25 percent or more to establish eligibility. Grant funds prioritized payroll costs, though recipients could also deploy funds for operating expenses and debt repayment incurred to maintain payroll.

This program represents emergency pandemic relief appropriated through a single statute rather than an annual appropriations cycle. The $2 billion authorization and the May 2021 opportunity posting indicate the program was active during the acute pandemic period. No information in the source confirms whether additional grant opportunities have been posted since May 2021, whether the application portal has reopened, or whether unobligated funds remain available. The source contains no recent grant awards, portfolio concentration data, or assistance-type distribution. No current open solicitation is documented.

Applicants should verify current program status and funding availability through the CERTS webpage at treasury.gov before committing business development resources. The program's statutory authorization, fixed appropriation total, and pandemic-specific design suggest this may not be an active funding line for organizations evaluating opportunities outside the 2021 relief window.