TransLink and Shaw Communications Inc. are teaming up to deliver free Wi-Fi for transit customers across Metro Vancouver.
The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon and TransLink is excited to roll this program out.
“We have half-a-million people ride our system every day, and when we ask them what they’d like to see on transit, Wi-Fi is one of the most frequent requests,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.
“We’re proud to be the first transit authority in Canada to offer this free Wi-Fi service and we’re doing it at no cost to our customers or taxpayers”.
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Starting in 2020, TransLink riders – whether or not they are Shaw customers – will be able to “stay connected for free throughout their commute on bus, SkyTrain or SeaBus”.
This program will see no costs for customers, while Shaw will “install and operate the Wi-Fi system”.
Since 2016, there has been free Wi-Fi at SeaBus terminals and on SeaBus ferries through Shaw.
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Free Wi-Fi Timeline
In their statement, it says that they will “refine the system design and plan to run trials in 2019, with deployment starting in 2020”. Likewise, TransLink expects the entire network to be completed by 2025. Wi-Fi rollout will begin with SkyTrain and buses.
Looking further into the future, TransLink intends to provide Wi-Fi on HandyDART, West Coast Express and community shuttle buses.
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