What could be finer than hopping aboard a nice, comfortable commuter bus, enjoying free internet access on your laptop, smart phone, or tablet, and smiling at the $4.69/gallon gas station signs as you head to work?
Well, not to sound too cheesy, but the future is here: The City of Santa Clarita is testing WiFi internet service on board a single MCI commuter bus in the hopes of rolling out WiFi service to more routes and coaches.
Right now the City is testing the concept on a single coach (Bus #258 for transit fans). The bus, which has a 4G cellular radio hotspot on board, was first assigned to the Downtown LA route (799) but is now being rotated among the Century City, North Hollywood and Warner City routes.
Depending on passenger usage of the WiFi system, the City says it may be able to roll out WiFi to other coaches at a marginal cost (perhaps as little as $40/month per bus) in conjunction with a new bus monitoring system it is deploying.
I've been a loyal rider on one of the City's commuter routes for over two years, and if you work in one of the major Los Angeles employment centers, it's the best way to go. You can't beat the sensation of literally floating above traffic.
Whether your job is in LA, North Hollywood, or West LA, you're going to get a significant portion of your day back every time you ride the bus. I spend my 2.5 hours on board the bus every day (going to work and coming back) sleeping, reading, working, or just relaxing, none of which would be possible if I was fighting to get home in my car like every other sucker, listening to KFI and getting angrier and more tense with each agonizing mile (I've lived that life, and don't want to return to it!)And if you're eco-inclined like me, you can take some comfort in the fact that your particulate & CO2 footprint is being shared among 30+ riders and is much lower on average than an individual who drives a car alone to work.
The WiFi service will be like icing on the cake on top of an already superior service. I'll be sure to update you when/if I get to ride the WiFi bus.
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