Wifi Service on AC Transit Transbay Buses a Solid Success

It was brought to Alameda County (AC) Transit’s attention that various Silicon Valley firms had developed private commuter bus systems. Since many technology campuses are located about 40 miles south of San Francisco, and many young technology employees preferred to live in San Francisco and Oakland, a number of companies developed commuter services, including free wifi services. Google, for instance, has a 32-bus chartered fleet. Once employees were on their bus, they can go to work immediately thanks to the wifi service. As they had been providing this service for about two years, it seemed logical for AC Transit to explore providing a similar service for its 26 Transbay routes, serving San Francisco at the Transbay Terminal via the Bay Bridge, campuses such as Visa and Oracle via the San Mateo Bridge, and Stamford University via the Dumbarton Bridge. An on-line survey of Transbay riders who were part of the AC Transit List Serve generated a large response – 25% of those surveyed – with an extremely enthusiastic response. With the grant support and technical assistance of the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency, AC Transit initiated the first large-scale implementation of wifi service on public transit.