YOU ARE AT:Internet of Things (IoT)Twin Cities piloting Wi-Fi on transport routes

Twin Cities piloting Wi-Fi on transport routes

Metro Transit to add express buses to free Wi-Fi program

The Twin Cities in Minnesota will soon be a testbed for Wi-Fi on transit routes. Metro Transit in the cities is making free Wi-Fi available on selected urban and local express routes.

The program, which begins this month, will be available on 57 motor coach express buses, as well as 10 rotating urban routes.

“Our riders have been asking for it,” spokesman Howie Padilla said. “We’ll see how the riders embrace it.”

According to Padilla, riders will be able to simply connect their devices to TransitWi-Fi. All they have to do is agree to the terms and they will immediately have access to the Internet. Streaming will not be available, however.

Metro Transit began offering free Wi-Fi on its rail line back in September 2013 and joins Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, SouthWest Transit and Plymouth Transit in offering the service.

The routes offering the Wi-Fi will include  Blaine, Columbus, Coon Rapids, East Bethel, Fridley, Forest Lake, Ham Lake, Lakeville, Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Officials will monitor the Wi-Fi usage to see if it makes financial sense to offer it on all routes. They hope a boost in ridership will counteract the cost of the implementation.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Joey Jackson
Joey Jacksonhttp://www.RCRWireless.com
[email protected] Joey Jackson is an editor and production manager at RCRWireless.com and RCRtv based in Austin, Texas. Before coming to RCR, Joey was a multimedia journalist for multiple TV news affiliates around the country. He is in charge of custom video production as well as the production of the "Digs," "Gigs," "How it works" and "Tower Stories" segments for RCRtv. He also writes daily about the latest developments in telecom and ICT news. An Oregon native, Joey graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism and communications. He enjoys telling the stories of the people and companies that are shaping the landscape of the mobile world. Follow him on Twitter at @duck_jackson.