An era of ambiguity has ended after TransLink changed the messaging displayed on the front of its buses from GO TEAM GO to GO CANUCKS GO.
After several weeks of cheering on a non-descript “team,” certain vehicles in the region’s public transport fleet have eschewed inclusivity in favour of declarative fandom.
In previous years, when Vancouver reached the Stanley Cups Playoffs, buses proudly spelled out the Canucks as their favourite team. This year, TransLink opted to support all teams for a brief period.
The public response to the digital display was mixed, if not outright hostile.
But Canucks fans prevailed. On Thursday, multiple sightings showed some buses had changed back from text reading GO TEAM GO to GO CANUCKS GO. CityNews confirmed that some buses have failed to commit.
The Metro Vancouver transit service announced its intentions to change the messaging last week, but did not set a date for the update.
“Don’t worry,” the service said. “We’re changing it.”
On Wednesday, May 8, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in Game 1 of Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The win appears to have finally won the hearts of TransLink programmers.
Buses may also display route names between ovations.
CityNews has reached out to TransLink for comment.