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End of Bus Wi-Fi


Union Tpke

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Made no sense having it on transit buses. Expresses? Sure. I might be working or watching video on that ride.

But I’m less likely to be Netflixing an entire hour on the Bx12 or the s52 - since I’m probably on either to avoid walking to the train or ferry.

Now if you wanna our it on the railroads and/or subway...

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One of the reasons why people don't use it is because sites like YouTube and SoundCloud don't work with the bus WiFi so using your data is necessary. Express bus riders also use WiFi to work on their laptops/tablets that aren't connected via cellular data. Also cellular data can be spotty in some areas.

Next thing you know the USB ports are going to be removed from the buses.

Edited by Lil 57
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3 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

One of the reasons why people don't use it is because sites like YouTube and SoundCloud don't work with the bus WiFi so using your data is necessary. Express bus riders also use WiFi to work on their laptops/tablets that aren't connected via cellular data. Also cellular data can be spotty in some areas.

Next thing you know the USB ports are going to be removed from the buses.

I was just about to say something along those lines. Whenever I tried to use any WIFI on ground transportation - whether on the QM's, Greyhound between NYC and Atlantic City, or Amtrak (west of Philadelphia) - I can almost never have a good connection for things I'll actually use (YouTube on my phone; data queries on my work laptop). Like most people, I just use my smartphone as a hotspot for the work laptop, or I simply do without until I have reception again.

The only WIFI that actually worked was on a commuter flight between LGA and MCI (KCMO).

As for the USB ports...oh my...they better keep those. Removal of the USB ports is up there with high treason. If they're going to take away the USB ports (esp on the express buses), then they better turn back the clock to when the drivers made change.

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Thank Goodness!!!! This is a blessing to hear!

 

As someone who's very sensitive to EMF radiation, the WiFi antenna on all buses that have it emit frequencies so strong I usually develop a migraine type headache especially when sitting too close. This is always an issue especially on the 2015-2017 XD40s and XD60s (often riding the Q70 from LGA or Q53 to the Rockaways I have to sit all the way in the back where it's the least intense and I'm still usually naseuas with a headache by the time I get off). There's no reason why the WiFi has to be so strong I can still connect to it a block or two away. There really should be some research into the potentially harmful effects of WiFi radiation before placing them inside buses and turning them up full blast right next to where people sit. 

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55 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

Might as well go back to the blue stripe paint scheme at that point.

33773023552_0a1ac813f7_b.jpg

I hoping for that to happen, it's much cheaper to paint a bus white and add a blue stripe. As much as the new scheme is growing on me, it's unnecessary.

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1 hour ago, paulrivera said:
1 hour ago, Lil 57 said:

 

Might as well go back to the blue stripe paint scheme at that point.

 

8 minutes ago, R32 3838 said:

I hoping for that to happen, it's much cheaper to paint a bus white and add a blue stripe. As much as the new scheme is growing on me, it's unnecessary.

Good point about the paint scheme. Didn't the NYPD switch from a majority blue police car to a white police car with a blue stripe in order to save money on auto paint and detailing? Makes one think about how much the excelsior paint scheme is costing the city/state taxpayers. I'm sure a friend of a donor to Cuomo received a windfall.

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What a moron Cuomo is. His pride and joy program, which we knew was a waste, proves to be a waste. Kind of silly the MTA is ending this when it saves not a ton of money and will be such lousy optics (peel off all those dumb stickers?), but so it goes. 

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Goddamn it, I use the wifi every day on the QMs (or at least when I catch one of the 50% of CP buses with wifi installed).  I hope they keep the wifi on express buses, but it doesn't sound like they will.

The poor usage might also be due to the fact that it is broken a solid 20% of the time

 

@Via Garibaldi 8  havent you posted that exp bus riders complain constantly that the wifi is broken? That tells me they use it a lot. 

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17 minutes ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Goddamn it, I use the wifi every day on the QMs (or at least when I catch one of the 50% of CP buses with wifi installed).  I hope they keep the wifi on express buses, but it doesn't sound like they will.

The poor usage might also be due to the fact that it is broken a solid 20% of the time

That's actually another reason why I use my own phone as a hotspot instead of the MTA Bus WIFI. It was more of a miss than a hit on the Union Tpke Exp routes. Also, with the availability of 5G in the future, combined with plans like Google FI, relying on MTA WIFI will likely become a thing of the past (like expecting to see movies on some long-distance buses - that's no longer a thing).

At this point, I'd rather the MTA use their resources to actually run the buses more than on some niceties (but they better not touch the USB ports!).

Edited by Uncle Floyd Fan
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End of bus Wifi.....

Man, I mean, look - The pandering to millennials fell flat on its face & I'm also of the belief that the USB ports won't be too far behind.... It all was a piss-poor attempt to keep riders from ditching buses - Shrouding the fact that service across the board was (and still is) waning.... I don't personally know of anyone that uses it, or attempted to use it.... You're not catching me dead using it.... LOFL.....

Instead of trying to quell (or eradicate) increasing commuting times & QoS across the board, let's quell the stresses of your commute by offering you amenities in the interim <_<..... It's no different than giving that poor kid that had to go to the dentist a balloon, or one of those funny tasting chocolate bunny (candies)....

 

10 hours ago, 4P3607 said:

Thank Goodness!!!! This is a blessing to hear!

As someone who's very sensitive to EMF radiation, the WiFi antenna on all buses that have it emit frequencies so strong I usually develop a migraine type headache especially when sitting too close. This is always an issue especially on the 2015-2017 XD40s and XD60s (often riding the Q70 from LGA or Q53 to the Rockaways I have to sit all the way in the back where it's the least intense and I'm still usually naseuas with a headache by the time I get off). There's no reason why the WiFi has to be so strong I can still connect to it a block or two away. There really should be some research into the potentially harmful effects of WiFi radiation before placing them inside buses and turning them up full blast right next to where people sit. 

Captain Planet is cheaper.

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The only SMART buses equipped with WiFi are those specifically wrapped for the FAST Limited-Stop routes, nothing yet at DDOT. Both SMART and DDOT have made a bit of noise about expanding it, but nothing more than a whisper. And when you consider most of this region's bus customers are from DDOT, with no real groundswell of getting WiFi installed, that should speak volumes. Also let's clarify that most DDOT customers are using their phones to stream, play on social media, and other data-side consumption.

On the FAST buses during Peak, I've seen the "professional" types obviously using the WiFi with their laptops and tablets. I've also seen some of those same customers aboard a local bus on the same corridor (obviously doing the "whatever bus comes first to the stop" thing) doing the same activities when no WiFi is available. Since I'm not in the "I gotta be constantly on my phone" club, I don't even bother to hook into the WiFi, and any data used is going to be small against my plan.

No USBs on the buses as of yet, but the new shelters along the FAST corridors have solar running the arrival screen and 4 USB ports. These shelters are currently only planned along those routes, but some of the other stops systemwide have had the old shelters changed out to newer ones with solar/USBs. The only way you'd notice it is specifically looking for the plug boxes on the inside corner posts -- no signage advertising USBs at any of the shelters. DDOT doesn't have any USB shelters, and hasn't said anything publicly.

The MTA could do like SMART and only have ports/WiFi on SBS buses and Express buses, but with all procurement currently funded to have all the necessary equipment installed, no point in changing things now. Besides, with Cuomo ever closer to having an iron fist grip on the MTA and its operations, he's NOT going to let the WiFi/USBs be pulled -- he can't look a fool when HE said these "conveniences" were going to be in place. And surrounded publicly by all the politicians smiling, nodding and planting their lips on his (lower) cheeks.

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Most of the time from my experience the WiFi would either take forever to connect or wouldn’t connect at all. Now that I have unlimited data I really don’t need to use the wifi provided on the bus. WiFi should remain on the express buses and the subway stations. 
I hope they don’t get rid of the USB ports though because that is actually useful. I use it from time to time. I’m glad they changed the location of the ports from the ceiling to the back of the seats as they are easier to access. Charging speed seems to vary from bus to bus. However those ports definitely need to be serviced because some of them stop working, they get loose or a few are just missing completely on older XD60’s from 2016/2017. 

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19 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

What a moron Cuomo is. His pride and joy program, which we knew was a waste, proves to be a waste. Kind of silly the MTA is ending this when it saves not a ton of money and will be such lousy optics (peel off all those dumb stickers?), but so it goes. 

Very true. Here is an article proving the problems with the buses straight from the start: https://nypost.com/2016/05/19/if-mtas-new-buses-are-the-future-were-all-doomed/

Honestly, if we need state-of-the-art, they could've done is make an LED screen separate from the ceiling-mounted ones to show connecting bus arrivals, service changes on both subways and buses (like what Elizabeth Rosner in the article was hoping they would have), and maybe another LED screen with the borough map. Also, maybe the buses can have three R160 subway FIND-Like Displays on the ceiling that would not only replace some sections that are used as advertisements, but also functions like the R160 FIND displays, showing the service, the route, route info, the next stop, and the next 10-15 stops (for those who frequent any line the R160 and R179 cars run on, you know what I'm talking about). The ceiling-mounted screens would remain to show ads and also connecting bus times. Essentially, it would be the surface version of the R160. Isn't that cool.

Also, another thing to do, provide better service as well. We need more buses coming more frequently, plus more articulated buses, etc.

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19 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Goddamn it, I use the wifi every day on the QMs (or at least when I catch one of the 50% of CP buses with wifi installed).  I hope they keep the wifi on express buses, but it doesn't sound like they will.

The poor usage might also be due to the fact that it is broken a solid 20% of the time

 

@Via Garibaldi 8  havent you posted that exp bus riders complain constantly that the wifi is broken? That tells me they use it a lot. 

Yup. There's a guy on the X27 that posts about it a lot. lol

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IIRC bus wi-fi is just a router hooked up to 4G/3G like everybody else. So at the very least it's not *better* than data.

I don't think I was in New York when it debuted, but honestly if it also required doing the annoying Boingo sign-ins every time like the Port Authority wifi I probably wouldn't bother with it either. Seattle got rid of the wifi in favor of cellular only.

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8 minutes ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Can you quote the article? I hit the paywall when I click the link 

Such buses were lauded by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo when they rolled out in the city in 2017. A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo said Thursday that the MTA is mistaken about cutting the Wi-Fi service and directed questions to the authority.

Maxwell Young, an MTA spokesman, said the authority doesn’t plan to reduce bus service Wi-Fi and that its inclusion in the budget cuts was an error. “Bus Wi-Fi is a popular service that approximately 700,000 thousand people use a month to stay connected, especially on noncellular devices like tablets,” Mr. Young said in an email.

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1 minute ago, Mtatransit said:

Such buses were lauded by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo when they rolled out in the city in 2017. A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo said Thursday that the MTA is mistaken about cutting the Wi-Fi service and directed questions to the authority.

Maxwell Young, an MTA spokesman, said the authority doesn’t plan to reduce bus service Wi-Fi and that its inclusion in the budget cuts was an error. “Bus Wi-Fi is a popular service that approximately 700,000 thousand people use a month to stay connected, especially on noncellular devices like tablets,” Mr. Young said in an email.

Well, sounds like Cuomo got wind of this and made them take back the plan, just as predicted in earlier posts here. 

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39 minutes ago, Mtatransit said:

Maxwell Young, an MTA spokesman, said the authority doesn’t plan to reduce bus service Wi-Fi and that its inclusion in the budget cuts was an error. “Bus Wi-Fi is a popular service that approximately 700,000 thousand people use a month to stay connected, especially on noncellular devices like tablets,” Mr. Young said in an email.

Just yesterday the service wasn’t popular because everyone had their own phones with their own data.

For better or for worse, the (MTA) is proving the governor right. They tried to pull a fast one by sneak cutting one of his babies and they got caught. Then they complain when Cuomo chastises the MTA on TV.

The battles the governor chooses to fight the MTA about might not be the best ones to be fighting about, but that’s a whole other discussion.

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