--- title: "Not Just Buses: Greyhound Used These Funky, Open-Air Vehicles to Shuttle People Around" date: "2026-11-08" modified: "2026-11-08" authors: - name: "Stephen Edelstein" job_title: "Weekend Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/not-just-buses-greyhound-used-these-funky-open-air-vehicles-to-shuttle-people-around" categories: - "Culture" - "History" - "News" tags: - "Mobility" --- # Not Just Buses: Greyhound Used These Funky, Open-Air Vehicles to Shuttle People Around ![Greyhound Escorter]() *Screenshot \Richmond Auctions\* Greyhound did for buses what Pan Am did for air travel, elevating a given mode of transportation to new levels of glamor. The company did that with a meticulously curated image that extended to bespoke vehicles, the most famous of which is the domed [Scenicruiser](). But we're not just talking about [buses](). Greyhound has also dabbled in smaller-scale transportation solutions. The three-wheeled, open-air Greyhound Escorter was built to shuttle people around the 1964 New York World's Fair, the showcase of Midcentury Modern design and optimism that also hosted the [Ford]() Mustang's debut. Described as "new as tomorrow's newspaper" in [period marketing materials](), the open-air Escorter was reportedly designed with input from Disney, legendary [General Motors]() design boss [Harley Earl's]() firm, and Robert Moses, the controversial urban planner who organized the fair. ![Greyhound Escorter]() ![Greyhound Escorter]() ![Greyhound Escorter]() Moses also oversaw the reshaping of New York's infrastructure around cars, so it's not surprising that he favored a car-like form of transportation for World's Fair visitors. Passengers sat on the bench seat ahead of a driver, who also served as a tour guide. An Escorter could be hired like a taxi (it was even equipped with a meter), or on an hourly or daily basis. Greyhound commissioned the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company, a Michigan-based company that mostly made railroad equipment, to build 150 Escorters for this purpose. The Escorter consists of a fiberglass body over a steel frame. An Onan two-cylinder engine powers a hydrostatic drive. The gasoline engine spins a hydraulic pump that pressurizes fluid used to turn motors for each of the front wheels. This probably made operation a bit smoother than a conventional mechanical drive with a gearbox. ![Greyhound Escorter]() ![Greyhound Escorter]() ![Greyhound Escorter]() *Richmond Auctions* Only three working Escorters are thought to survive, and just one is claimed to have been restored to original condition. Also used in the 2015 Disney film *Tomorrowland*, it was sold at the 2026 [Barrett-Jackson]() Scottsdale auction in January, then [resold at another auction]() this past October for $38,000. This funky runabout is a rolling embodiment of 1960s futurism, and while many of the futuristic visions from that time didn't become reality, it did predict the various last-mile mobility alternatives that various companies have proposed. Make it electric and autonomous, and the VC cash will start flowing. ## Author Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read. ### Author social links [Twitter]() ## More - [Did You Know the Toyota Prius Once Had a Touchscreen-Operated Tape Deck?]() - [The US Army Planned a Nuclear Version of Its Already Crazy Off-Road Land Train]() - [Thieves Try To Steal Vintage Brabham Race Car, Foiled by Manual Transmission]() - [Buy Michael Schumacher’s Championship-Winning Ferrari F1 Car for $9.5M]() - [Hot Rod Magazine Will Post Every Issue From 1948 to 2021 Online for Free]() - [2000 Chevy K5 Blazer Concept Was the Best GMT800 That Never Made It]() - [You Can Buy This 1971 Alfa Romeo GTV Racer, but It’ll Take More Than $350K]() - [Listen to the Odd-Looking Panoz Abruzzi’s V8 Thunder]()