TRAVELING IN STYLE: THE BIG,EXPENSIVE, BLACK BUS….NO WELCOME MATS
PEOSTA, Iowa — The supporters and critics lining the route of President Obama’s Midwest bus tour this week have been privy to something no one else has seen until now.The Big Black Bus.
It stands out even though one can’t tell what its unique security capabilities are, and for one reason: It’s jet black.
And expensive.
The Secret Service, which just bought two of these traveling offices for the president and other “protectees,” says there’s good reason for both the cost and the color.
Until now, it has leased buses for “tens of thousands of dollars a month,” then installed what special equipment was needed, says spokesman Ed Donovan.”I understand $1.1 million for a vehicle is expensive,” he says, but the Secret Service hopes for a 10-year lifespan. Besides, Donovan says, “we’re really overdue for having an asset like this in our protective fleet,” along with the usual SUVs and limousines.
Since 1980, when Ronald Reagan used a bus to run for president, the service has needed something like the new bus to provide what Donovan called “a level of security that we haven’t had.”
And the color? It’s not for any security reason, he says: “Black is just sort of the color of our vehicles.”
Note:
Two buses for $2.2 million. Life span only ten years? Tens of thousands a week to rent? Who does the math?
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