Flashy sports cars, beastly pickup trucks, glossy sedans, and…a GO bus? Metrolinx is making a stop at the Canadian International AutoShow for the first time and they’re showing off one of the newer models in its fleet.
The single-decker public transit bus on display was a D4500CT model from 2015. While it isn’t brand new, it represents a different way of thinking about the future of transportation.
“The GO bus allows riders to experience a productive and comfortable commute,” Mark Childs, chief marketing officer for Metrolinx, said in an email. “It’s like the self-driving car is already here.”
Inside the GO bus at the Canadian International Autoshow, Feb. 22, 2019. It is the first time Metrolinx displayed a vehicle at the event. (Namar Trevon Smith/Toronto Observer)
Visitors at the show echoed Childs’ comments. Teenager Sam Calder noted how the bus was “nicer and comfier than the old ones.”
A GO bus seemed like an odd fit among the fancy sports cars and other luxury rides on display at the auto show — and that was exactly the point. It was an unconventional way of promoting pubic transportation.
Metrolinx also produced a slick video mimicking a car commercial to show off their single-decker online.
Watch the online ad Metrolinx released for the GO bus:
The bus didn’t seem to attract as many people as other features of the show, such as a fully functional Bugatti made entirely of Lego, or a virtual-reality racing simulator not too far from the bus itself.
Still, folks old and young were all smiles as they clamoured aboard the green Goliath and climbed behind the wheel, which was surrounded by buttons, dials, and flashing lights.
Behind the wheel of a GO bus at the Toronto Autoshow a few hours ago. #autoshow #Toronto #bus pic.twitter.com/lb5KwEWNDo
— Trevon Smith (@trevy_smith) February 23, 2019
People can expect to see more of the GO bus at other events like the Honda Indy or Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) this summer, Childs said.