14 DAY TRIAL // Right, apparently there is no connection whatsoever between the fact that Microsoft has worked to take no less than 240,000 cars off the road and the fact that its employess will be served Wi-Fi Internet through Linux-based servers. Still, bear with me, it will all make sense in the end, I promise. You will find that there is a connection between Microsoft's efforts to become greener and its workforce being reduced to access the Internet via Linux routers. And it all starts with the fact that the company introduced a free bus shuttle service for its employees from Redmond to Seattle.
"We are committed to doing our part to address the transportation needs of this region as Microsoft continues to grow," said Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel at Microsoft. "The Connector transportation service will give our employees a convenient, productive, comfortable alternative for commuting to work."
Microsoft applauded the greener aspect of its free bus service, revealing a few environmental benefits associated with the initiative including the elimination of some 3,800 tons of carbon emissions annually. Additionally, the Connector service will contribute to taking an estimate 20,000 cars off the roads per month, which in turn translates into 240,000 fewer vehicles on an annual basis.
"The Connector, a new transportation service launched by the Microsoft? Connections Transportation Program, will carry employees from their residential neighborhoods to the Redmond, Wash., campus, starting Sept. 24. In the pilot phase, The Connector will make stops in five neighborhoods covering downtown Seattle, Bothell, Mill Creek, Issaquah and Sammamish, providing a convenient, productive and comfortable means for commuting to work," Microsoft informed.
No less than 14 full-size and midsize coaches will take in excess of 1,000 riders per day to Redmond and then back to Seattle via the following routes: Queen Anne-Belltown; First Hill-Capitol Hill; Mill Creek-Bothell; Issaquah-South Sammamish and Snoqualmie-Issaquah. But in addition to the free bus ride, Microsoft employees will also get another perk. Wi-Fi Internet connections via the Linux routers in the coaches. And Microsoft has little choice in the matter as Junxion, the company that produces the wireless routed on the "Connector" bus system are using the open source Linux operating system.