Free Wi-Fi coming for all TransLink commuters

METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Metro Vancouver commuters could be the first in Canada to have free access to Wi-Fi on transit.

TransLink says it will take time to set it up, but transit users are being told they will have Wi-Fi at buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus.

“It’s meant to be a roll-out probably over a four or five year period. I would hope six or so months from now we’ll have a much better sense of exactly what the roll-out plan would be,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond. “You know, we want to move as quickly as we are able to to get all the equipment set up and all the networking done.”

RELATED: Huge lineups as TransLink Compass wristbands sell out in one hour

Desmond said the new project won’t cost taxpayers, but the dollar value of Translink’s deal with Shaw Communications is considered confidential.

“The Wi-Fi project in and of itself is not meant to be the revenue generator for Translink. The purpose of this is to provide an ad value really for our customers, so we’re not expecting to commercialize our customers’ access to the free network,” he added.

He said TransLink will be the first system in Canada to offer this kind of connectivity.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today