Wi-Fi Public Transport Makes Commuters Early for Work
While telecommuting becomes every more popular, the morning commute is still a reality for millions of Americans. Many have the benefit of relying on public transport to get where they need to go on the way into the office, but whether driving or riding that means wasted time disconnected from the world. That's time that many cities are helping people regain by installing Wi-Fi into their buses and trains.
Buses in Cincinnati and Colorado Springs have been upgraded into mobile hotspots at a cost of roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per vehicle, meaning passengers can whip out their laptops or iPhones and do some some high-speed surfing while on the go. The same goes for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train between Worchester and Boston, and soon NYC's subway stations will all be Wi-Fi enabled as well. Great for people who can't be offline for a moment, but we're not entirely sure that pulling out your new MacBook in a subway station is a good idea -- though smarter than other things we've heard of people doing down there.
From USA Today
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yankees368 @ Apr 11th 2008 2:35PM
Who will be providing the WIFI service in the NYC Subways? Will it be free?
Hero @ Apr 11th 2008 5:32PM
We have had this since the fall. All the buses going around town have it. Helps to pass the time while on the way to class.
vanessa @ Apr 12th 2008 12:57AM
That's the time to savor and get connected with the reality around oneself. If you are forever concerned about the people 'out there' when are you going to think about the people beside you.
Vanessa@ Future of Engineering Blog
Mr. Tardy @ Apr 12th 2008 5:25PM
Your title is actually truer than you think.
My work has an online clock-in system, when you're running 15 late and you don't want your supervisor to notice your tardiness when he authorizes your paycheck, you clock in on the bus and say you were in the bathroom for the 15 minutes your body wasn't present at the desk.