Las Vegas to offer free wi fi to city bus riders... - GoFuckYourself.com

SykkBoy · 07-05-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

By this time next year Las Vegas commuters on certain express buses essentially will be able to reach their offices or classrooms before arriving at their destinations by using their laptop computers to make free high-speed wireless connections to the Internet and e-mail.

As mass transit operators examine ways to lure people out of their vehicles to relieve traffic congestion, they are looking to wireless technology that enables riders to commute and work at the same time as one possible strategy.

Coffee shops and facilities such as McCarran International Airport long have been "wired" so that individuals can use their laptops without needing to find the nearest Internet connection.

But the concept of mobile Internet connections for the public, first tried on transit systems in Europe in 2003, has had a much slower reception in the United States.

Although wireless services for bus travelers are now offered in cities that include Salt Lake City, Seattle, Albuquerque, and Oakland and Riverside, Calif., in most cases they are available only on limited routes on a trial basis.

As part of the Regional Transportation Commission's plan to take advantage of the soon-to-be-widened U.S. 95 corridor from the Spaghetti Bowl to Craig Road, double-deckers will have access to multiple-passenger lanes. The buses, as an added convenience, will give riders free access to the World Wide Web.

"Internet access is an amenity we can use to entice people to try transit," RTC spokeswoman Tracy Bower said.

The system is to be far more advanced than those used in other cities, so much so that the Internet access offered the public is not the major reason for going wireless.

The primary purposes of the wireless connections, officials say, are twofold: to permit transit technicians to use Internet connections to give them more flexibility to manipulate traffic signals to speed bus traffic, and to allow bus drivers to more rapidly transmit onboard video of problem passengers to transit and law enforcement authorities.

RTC officials acknowledge that there are several unknowns about the wireless system they plan to have in place, most notably the cost. They plan to advertise requests for bids in the fall and award a contract by year's end.

more...
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/st...566622622.html

I wonder if this will lead to laptop thefts at bus stops? It will also be interesting to see how/if the connections are monitored and of course the TOS of using a latop on the bus (horrifying to think there could be someone on a city bus full of kids/families watching porn).

Also, those buses can get pretty full/cramped on Sahara (one of the proposed routes) and I'd imagine it could led to a lot of jostling for room...and of course there are the passengers that are standing on the bus...

eroswebmaster · 07-05-2007, 11:09 AM

Nothing like waiting on a transfer on MLK Blvd with your laptop...LOL

SykkBoy · 07-05-2007, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eroswebmaster

Nothing like waiting on a transfer on MLK Blvd with your laptop...LOL

Hmmm, I think I'll start up a company that sells laptop chains...basically, hook one end to the laptop and the other to a belt loop or a doohickey that fits in your pocket...kind of like a chain wallet...

07-05-2007, 11:09 AM	#2
eroswebmaster March 1st, 2003 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Seat 4 @ Venetian Poker Room Posts: 20,295	Nothing like waiting on a transfer on MLK Blvd with your laptop...LOL __________________ For rent - ICQ 127-027-910 Click here for more details