Thamesdown has doubled the number of buses in its fleet in Swindon with WiFi available.
Thanks to additional funding through Swindon Borough Council’s Swindon Travel Choices scheme, Thamesdown has been able to fit WiFi to a further 29 vehicles, increasing the number of vehicles utilising the technology from 29 to 58. The WiFi is provided by Icomera.
The newly fitted vehicles are being used on Services 1/1A, 13, 14, 17 and 27. This means that most passengers travelling between the town centre and Middleleaze, Haydon Wick, Liden, Eldene, Penhill and Park North can now use WiFi for free during their journeys.
Double-decker buses on Service 27 have also been fitted with technology.
Paul Jenkins, Managing Director of Thamesdown, said: “Last year’s customer satisfaction survey showed that free WiFi was highly valued by our customers, and so thanks to Swindon Travel Choices we can now offer this service to more passengers.
“Since WiFi has been available on these extra vehicles we have seen a 150% increase in the use of WiFi, with a 50% increase in the number of users.
“The latest WiFi units funded by Swindon Travel Choices are 4G-enabled, so in some cases you may get a faster internet connection when travelling on the bus than at home. The WiFi is free and easy to access.”
Cllr Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Transport, said: “95% of the Swindon bus network is run commercially with no council subsidy, but investment still occurs and this one-off government money provides another small reason to help encourage people out of their cars and onto buses.
“Swindon is two years into a five-year programme of improving the borough’s road network in order to cope with future traffic levels but ultimately, if we are serious about reducing congestion, we need to reduce the number of cars on the road, and that number is increasing by 2% every year.”
