That can be difficult for those who don’t pay extra for unlimited internet access on their smart phone or other devices and for those who ride public buses.
“I try not to use data when I don’t have Wi-Fi,” Stover, 19, said, his smartphone in his hand as he waited for a bus Downtown. “I try to be responsible about it.”
When he hops on any Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) bus after Jan. 31, Stover won’t have to worry about it. That’s when COTA will provide free Wi-Fi on all 444 of its buses, becoming the first large U.S. city to do that, said Michael Carroll, COTA’s information technology director.
“We’ve made a commitment to customer service,” Carroll said. “It’s giving (riders) options they don’t have now.”
COTA has been working on the project for about a year. It has two parts.
The first is to upgrade COTA’s fleet to 4G service, allowing wireless internet access at higher speeds on buses by Dec. 1. That is being done to increase communication between buses and COTA. Now, COTA buses communicate electronically once per minute with COTA computers to track their location. That helps administrators know if there are any breakdowns or other problems and if buses are on schedule.
With the upgrade, those electronic transmissions will be made every 15 seconds, Carroll said, making locations of each bus known to COTA — and riders using an app that tracks COTA buses — so all will know where the bus is in real time.
The 4G upgrade also allows COTA to provide Wi-Fi for its entire fleet. “The bus is really a rolling hot spot driving around the city,” Carroll said.
“I think the big thing for data for people will be social media,” Stover said. “I also think I’l l use it for school, for assignments and all that jazz.”
While the upgrade isn’t specifically planned to attract more riders, COTA officials hope that happens.
“We want to make the transit experience more attractive,” COTA spokesman Marty Stutz said.
The cost to COTA will be no more than $250,000 per year. Carroll, though, is hopeful negotiations with companies vying for the contract will result in no charge to COTA, so the winning bidder can use COTA as an example of what it can do. If that doesn’t happen, perhaps the cost can be offset by contributions from Columbus or Franklin County governments.
“With 19 million rides a year using it, that’s a pretty good deal,” Stutz said.
If COTA has to pay $250,000 per year and it continues to provide 19 million rides annually, the cost will be less than two cents per ride.
“We’re expecting a four- or five-year commitment from the vendor,” Carroll said.
As an IT expert, Carroll knows there is no guarantee the Wi-Fi won’t be hacked. He said the plan is to install the best security possible.
No password or log-in will be required, so anything online can be reviewed over COTA-provided Wi-Fi on buses. That is done, Carroll said, because COTA didn’t want riders to think their online activities are monitored.
A goal also is to provide free Wi-Fi at COTA transit spots so, for example, if you’re watching a movie on your iPad when you step on the bus, the movie will continue seamlessly.
Carroll and COTA, which gets about $125 million a year in public funds from two sales taxes, see the free Wi-Fi as good rider service, particularly for those who can’t afford to pay for unlimited data or who, for money reasons, limit data for other day-to-day activities.
“People expect data,” Carroll said. “They expect it.
“At the end of the day, this shows that COTA takes care of its customers.”
©2016 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
