Hotspots Hit Metro Buses

Posted by Catherine Van Herrin

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Emerald city citizens, say goodbye to the hotspot blues. Wi-Fi access to the internet, is no longer just available in coffee shops and libraries. Indeed, wireless will soon breathe new technological life into Seattle's public transportation system.

You knowthat frustrating feeling: You're in transit and really need touse your laptop, but you have to wait until you can get to ahotspot. Well, in Seattle, if you hop on a Metro Bus, you're inluck: Wi-Fi has come to the Emerald City's buslines.

Metro,which puts more than 1,000 buses on the city's roads each day, isworking with Sound Transit, also of Seattle, on a five-monthtrial to test Wi-Fi on two of the city's most popular routes - both of which gothrough the well-traveled University District, as well as anin-city route and a longer, suburban commuter route.

The idea was hatched by high-tech enthusiast Ron Sims, aprominent King County executive who contacted Metro's RochelleOgershok about setting up the free service for commuters. Duringthe pilot project, Metro's staff will gather riders' opinionsabout the service to determine whether they should add freelaptops to all of Metro's buses.

And if all goes well, Sound Transit plans to launch Wi-Fi laptop access on five more buses this fall - on Route 545, between Redmond anddowntown Seattle. Though the pilot project is costing Metro$60,000, both Ogershok and Sims agree it's definitely money wellspent for Seattle's computer-savvy residents.

The county has already positioned Wi-Fi-enabled spots in thepopulous Marymoor Park, in county jury rooms at the RegionalJustice Center, and at the King County Parks Aquatic Center.

And Metro doesn't want to be left behind. After administratorscompile riders' opinions and experiences about the service, suchas any problems with maintenance, or any difficulties encounteredwith multiple users on the same route, they'll deliver theirreport to the county and Sound Transit, who, with contractorsJunxion Inc., may indeed get the "green light" on the project -and Seattle's buses will soon be Wi-Fi laptop paradise.

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