[RTC List] Connected transit

[Aaron Antrim]

Hi Sean,

Thanks for posting this.  I have been meaning to move forward in advocating
for the local Redwood Transit System buses to be outfitted with this
service.  Of course I have suggested the idea to HTA, but it will likely
take a little more encouragement to get some follow-up.  If anyone would
like to join my effort, please email me.

It's actually much more affordable to outfit buses with the equipment for
WiFi.  A colleague has outfitted a few Santa Barbara shuttle buses with
wi-fi using off-the-shelf hardware that works effectively for $150-$200.
This same Santa Barbara Breeze service takes advantage of an opportunity
available for all government agencies in the state to get unlimited
high-speed Spring wireless service for $50/month per access point.

This means the hardware setup costs for 10 RTS fleet buses would be less
than $2,000.  Per year, service costs would not total more than $7200.  I
think these costs would be justifiable — RTS logs roughly half a million
rider-trips per year, and many of these riders are students who bring their
laptops to school.  Plus, it would be a great incentive for people to ride
the bus, offer a more productive way of spending commuting time, and make
info-tech more visible in our community.

Here are three funding sources I can think of for this project:

   - Humboldt Transit Authority
   - HSU and the Jack Pass program (because they are trying to increase
   student bus ridership and decrease parking demand)
   - A local sponsor who would like advertising on the outside and/or
   inside of buses — anyone?


When it comes to info-tech, transit agencies need encouragement and help.
Again, if anyone would like to join my effort, please get in touch.

Aaron



On Sat, Apr 12, 2008 at 3:03 PM, Sean McLaughlin <sean at accesshumboldt.net>
wrote:

>
> MORE CITIES OFFER WIFI CONNECTION ON BUSES
> [SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Lori Kurtzman]
> Commuter buses in more than 20 cities  now offer wireless Internet,
> according to an informal survey by the American Public Transportation
> Association (APTA). Wireless service is also on some commuter trains. APTA
> President William Miller predicts wireless Internet will become a service
> riders expect. Outfitting a bus with wireless capability costs about $1,000
> to $2,000, transportation officials said.
> http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080411/1a_bottomstrip11_dom.art.htm
>
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