14 DAY TRIAL // Passengers who travel on the Stagecoach Group service between Central London and Oxford will be provided with email and web access at speeds of up to 1.4Mbps, due to Moovera's mobile WiFI equipment and Vodafone's 3G broadband network, now covering 80 percent of the UK's population.
Throughout a three month trial across Stagecoach Group's 25 vehicles, over 7,000 passengers have used the free service, with an average session duration of up to 41 minutes. Ever since providing WiFi, the company has discovered that quite a few commuters have transferred from the railways or rival coach operators because of the free service.
"The success of the Stagecoach Wi-Fi service clearly demonstrates the demand for high-speed Internet connectivity on public transport", said Jim Baker, CEO and founder of Moovera Networks. "Providing free 'always-on' broadband access on routes frequented by commuters, students and tourists is a significant way for bus, coach and train operators to distinguish their service from others and increase passenger footfall."
Cafes, restaurants and malls usually providing WiFi tend to be more popular among certain types of users, comparing to ones that don't offer the services. Thus, when it comes to public transportation, something many people can't do without, it is even more obvious how successful and useful Internet access can be.
The Internet connectivity is provided by Moovera's Movbox M series, which is a small ruggedized device that creates a WiFi network throughout a vehicle that passengers can use to connect with any WiFi powered device including mobile phones, PDAs and laptops. Moreover, the Moovbox features a built-in GPS which means that fleet operators will know where their vehicles are at all times.