Mears Transportation Group has laid off 104 employees at their Central Florida locations due to the “negative economic impact” according to the Orlando Business Journal.

The locations affected does include the Orlando International Airport including “those who help with with the company’s shuttle and taxi operations, as well as the Disney Magical Express service.”  19 people were impacted by the layoffs in that area of the company.

Other locations include their Corporate headquarters, where the majority were laid off and some at their location at 3840 Vineland Road.

The company has scaled down their workforce since April

Previously the company laid off 83% of it’s workforce last April when the stay-at-home orders started. With tourism picking back up a bit they were able to bring some employees back.  But they had also had to lay off 72 employees in June and then this more recent round of 104 took place throughout July. This took the company from 950 employees down to 650 according to Mears Executive Vice President of Public Affairs.

Orlando tourism has taken a hit

Orlando has taken a huge hit with the pandemic. Many people who planned trips to the tourism area have cancelled or postponed due to fears about the COVID-19 virus. Others have cancelled or postponed because they too faced a lay off and no longer can afford the trip to Florida.

The good news is that Mears has told their laid off workers that they will bring them back as the industry picks back up again and they will “fast-track” the rehiring process for those that have been laid off.

Hopefully Orlando can start regaining their tourism industry again soon. It seems that while some people are traveling in, many are locals and they don’t need transportation services like the Magic Express or taxis. Many also prefer to use services like Uber or Lyft.

What do you think? Comment and let us know.

Source: Orlando Business Journal