WASHINGTON -- President Obama is barnstorming the heartland to boost US jobs in a taxpayer-financed luxury bus the government had custom built -- in Canada, The Post has learned. The $1.1 million vehicle, one of two that Quebec-based Prevost sold the government, has been tricked out by the Secret Service with state-of-the-art security features and creature comforts.
It's a VIP H3-45 model, the company's top of the line, and is used by major traveling rock bands.
"That's the more luxurious model," Christine Garant of Prevost told The Post.
COOL RIDE, EH! It's the only way to travel for President Obama, who is pushing American jobs -- in a Canadian-made bus.
Photos: Obama's $2.1 Million Buses
PHOTOS: OBAMA'S $2.1 MILLION BUSES
"When we have the Country Music Awards, we sometimes see a lot of them," she said, noting that Kid Rock, David Lee Roth and Kenny Rogers also have owned them.
Obama's new ride is equipped to carry all the baggage a president needs -- including the "football" that allows him to remotely control US nuclear weapons.
There's electronic equipment allowing Obama to communicate and teleconference worldwide.
Like his GM-built limousine, nicknamed "The Beast," the bus has armored doors.
The president also has large flat-screen TV sets and comfortable couches.
There's a bathroom, but unlike on Air Force One, no sleeping area.
The bus was ordered by the Secret Service in July 2010 and delivered two months ago.
The feds bought the two coaches for $2.2 million from Hemphill Brothers Coach, based in Tennessee. It installed custom interior upgrades into the Prevost shell, which accounted for about half the cost.
The contract lists the country of origin as Canada and place of manufacture as "outside U.S. - Trade Agreements," a possible reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Hemphill wouldn't comment on the bus. But an ad on its Web site for a similar bus costing $100,000 less than what has been dubbed "Greyhound One" boasts: "This coach is appointed with the finest materials and the latest in high tech electronics and was built for a top entertainer to travel efficiently without losing the luxuries of home.
"It is the perfect coach for entertainers, sports stars, NASCAR drivers, executive travel, or anyone accustomed to the very best."
Ed Donovan, a Secret Service spokesman, said, "There are certain security and communications equipment that we'll have in there. It's just a better situation for us rather than leasing something and then putting in temporary equipment."
Hemphill Brothers lists Beyoncé, Cher, KISS, Van Halen, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Pope Benedict XVI as clients on its Web site.
The Secret Service says the buses will be available to other protectees who travel by bus, which could include the 2012 GOP presidential nominee.
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