GM RTS: How a Radical Experiment Became an American Icon

For decades, the GM RTS was one of the most familiar sights on American city streets. It carried millions of passengers, appeared constantly in films and photographs, and became so common that most people barely noticed it. But its origins were anything but ordinary. The RTS grew out of a much more radical attempt by General Motors to build the transit bus of the future. Low floors, kneeling suspension, wheelchair access, futuristic styling and even gas-turbine power were all part of the story long before the production RTS appeared. In this video, we trace the evolution from the experimental RTX and the failed federal Transbus program to the production RTS, its early technical problems, its huge success in cities like New York, and the surprisingly long life of a bus that eventually outlived General Motors itself.