* Longer time on the bus
* More space to deal with a laptop
* Smoother operation – not bouncing around local streets, many stops.
* More chance that the passengers have laptops to utilize.

These are just the facts of the matter. Perhaps it is an “aristocratic” move, but it is sensible nonetheless. I’m one of the transbay commuters who utilizes the wi-fi on occasion, and I’d have to say even if the local buses that I also use (have to transfer local/transbay) offered wi-fi, I wouldn’t open up the laptop – the ride is far too bumpy, I’d have a headache within 5 minutes.

Several of our drivers and staff members caught the news report this morning on AC Transit’s new Wi-Fi service, and thought we’d like to point out that the Western Contra Costa Transit Authority (WestCAT) has been offering free wireless internet service to riders on all of its WestCAT Lynx Transbay buses since January 2007.

The Western Contra Costa Transit Authority (WestCAT) began testing the Wi-Fi technology in the fall of 2006 and started offering the free service in January 2007 on all of its transbay lines, which originate in Rodeo.

The comments from the Lynx passengers regarding the free Wi-Fi have been overwhelming positive. WestCAT Lynx passengers themselves have commented on many occasions that the convenience of the free Wi-Fi onboard the buses is one of their primary reasons for continuing to use public transportation to work. It is allowing them to make productive use of their drive time.

The Lynx service is a weekday commuter service to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco operating every 15-30 minutes during peak morning and afternoon commute hours. The service starts in Rodeo in the morning, making a stop at the new Hercules “Victoria by the Bay” neighborhood and the Hercules Transit Center before departing to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal on the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane. In the afternoon, service starts from the San Francisco Transbay Terminal directly to the Hercules Transit Center, continuing to the Victoria by the Bay neighborhood, and ending on Willow Avenue in Rodeo. The service began operating on September 19, 2005, with a new schedule released on June 19, 2006 with more frequent service.
WestCAT is a service of the Western Contra Costa Transit Authority, which provides local, express, and regional service to the cities of Pinole and Hercules and the unincorporated communities of Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, Bayview, Rodeo, Crockett, and Port Costa. In addition, WestCAT operates regional service between Martinez and the El Cerrito del Norte BART station and between the Hercules Transit Center and Contra Costa College. Also, in September 2005 WestCAT began offering Lynx, our transbay service between the Hercules Transit Center and the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.

Having just returned from an overseas trip, I know that transit based wifi is technologically feasible and useful. I took an inter city train from London to Edinburgh and used the wifi provided by the train operator the whole way. It was really novel, sending an email while traveling at 130 mph.

On the whole, if wifi can be provided at a fairly low cost to the transit agency, and preferably free to the rider, it would be a really good thing.

They are also made in the US, which means that federal funds can be used to purchase them.

For those of us who don’t delve into the finer points of transit management, could you please explain what MDBF is?

I’m not embarassed to say that I had to Google it. In my line of work, we’re supposed to run screaming from such abbreviations.