Class465fan
Member
I've been on non london buses and they tend to have wifi but how come most TFL if not all buses lack Wifi?
I've been on non london buses and they tend to have wifi but how come most TFL if not all buses lack Wifi?
it's been a thing for a while now (two years or less i think).Since when did WiFi become an essential for public transport? Especially buses.
fair pointAlso Transport For London is skint, and looking to make cuts to buses. I think there's little chance of wifi ever being retro-fitted to London buses, with such a huge fleet the cost would be astronomical.
For regular passengers, agreed. However, for tourists who might incur huge roaming charges, WiFi on public transport is unbelievably helpful and can be the difference between a very frustrating trip or a smooth day out. That said, I'd rather see investment in decent heating and cooling systems on buses to help with our ever increasing severe weather.Wifi is a gimmick and is no longer necessary in an era of near universal data subscriptions, especially on urban routes where 4G reception is good. TfL has provided next stop announcements for about a decade now, whereas most other companies still don't bother.
In most of the country operators try to encourage people to use buses, Tfl dont bother and would rather you used the underground.I've been on non london buses and they tend to have wifi but how come most TFL if not all buses lack Wifi?
Tourists from EU countries have the same data roaming access in the UK as they do at home. London is an expensive city for tourists. I doubt whether the bother of providing wi-fi for the few who have arrived ill-prepared would make much difference in the level of receipts from foreign passengers.In most of the country operators try to encourage people to use buses, Tfl dont bother and would rather you used the underground.
In most of the country operators try to encourage people to use buses, Tfl dont bother and would rather you used the underground.
Since when did WiFi become an essential for public transport? Especially buses.
Free Wifi first started to come about on buses in 2008, since 2009 all new regional orders for First/Stagecoach have had Free Wifi fitted. It may be seen as a gimmick but it's one of the many ways operators can increase bus use, same with USB charging.
Given the very poor patronage levels outside London, Wifi doesn't seem to be working that well as a way of getting people onto buses.
Given the very poor patronage levels outside London, Wifi doesn't seem to be working that well as a way of getting people onto buses.
Not necessarily true. The vast majority of routes fitted with WiFi and USB charging are the busy, profitable routes. The countryside routes with poor patronage are normally the routes with older and less comfortable vehicles.
Surely we should be promoting anything that increases patronage, even if it's not something you'd use personally? Especially if like WiFi and USB chargers there is fairly limited cost on a new vehicle.
Your logic is slightly flawed there, there's far bigger factors to the lower bus patronage. Wifi isn't the only method of getting people on buses, it's just "one of" the many methods.
I think USB charging points are a valued extra however.
So they should be concentrating on things like having high specification vehicles running on time and with low fares.
Surely high specification includes USB chargers and WiFi?
Those are not very expensive things to provide, which is why they are so commonly provided on vehicles which are otherwise built to low cost British-style specification. An articulated Citaro with air-conditioning but no Wfii is more expensive than your typical ADL bus with Wifi.
Wifi is a gimmick and is no longer necessary in an era of near universal data subscriptions...
Any articulated bus regardless of make costs more than it's rigid or decker counterpart! Further to this A/C is something not necessary in most of the UK.
Don't make the assumption that just because you have something that such things are "near universal". I know plenty of people who have no data subscription (maybe even the cheapest subscription is beyond their means) so free wi-fi is a boon to them.
And for tourists, as someone else mentioned. London is a big tourist destination so maybe offering free wi-fi everywhere never mind just on buses wouldn't be a bad thing.
- and London is a very expensive tourist destination* so of those that come, EU based tourists, (by far the majority of visitors) will be able to use their data allowance from their home country, longer distance visitors mostly come from wealthy countries, (US/Australia/Switzerland) wouldn't really be attracted to London, or even London buses because of something like wi-fi.Don't make the assumption that just because you have something that such things are "near universal". I know plenty of people who have no data subscription (maybe even the cheapest subscription is beyond their means) so free wi-fi is a boon to them.
And for tourists, as someone else mentioned. London is a big tourist destination so maybe offering free wi-fi everywhere never mind just on buses wouldn't be a bad thing.