Wine tasting on a bike? Go Transit apologizes for ‘misunderstanding’

TORONTO – A Facebook post encouraging people to visit southern Ontario region’s wineries by bicycle has prompted a regional public transit service to apologize for the “misunderstanding.”

In a May 10 Facebook posting, GO Transit said “Niagara’s wineries are best enjoyed responsibly and on two wheels.”

The posting encouraged people to take their bicycle on the GO for “a cycling weekend adventure in Ontario’s wine country” in a promotion for its seasonal service to Niagara Region.

That prompted numerous replies on social media that suggested Go Transit was endorsing mixing cycling and drinking.

One poster said she “wouldn’t encourage biking while under the influence of alcohol. That’s an accident waiting to happen.”

GO responded on Wednesday with a Facebook post saying it’s sorry if the message suggested anything but responsible enjoyment, adding it does not “encourage biking when intoxicated or impaired.”

“Unfortunately some thought this post was intended to encourage biking and drinking. That was not our intention at all; quite the opposite,” Anne Marie Aikins, a spokeswoman for GO Transit parent organization Metrolinx, said in an email.

“We apologize if the post on Facebook caused any misunderstanding. We should have clarified it sooner,” Aikins said.

There are many interesting things to see and do on winery bike tours, but Metrolinx’s position is that customers who wish to drink should plan ahead and take one of the winery buses, she said.