WiFi-facilitated buses begin journey in city

WiFi-facilitated bus service started on the city streets Thursday thanks to the financial support of UNDP and USAID with the technical assistance of Access to Information (a2i) programme under the Prime Minister's Office.
Communications Minister Obaidul Quader and State Minister for Information  and Communications Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak inaugurated the service in Farmgate area on the day.
In the first phase, 20 buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) on Motijheel-Uttara route are equipped with the modern facility.
3G wireless routers of the state-owned mobile phone operator - Teletalk - have been set up in all the buses so that around 40 people can avail the service at a time.
As a result, commuters with WiFi-enabled devices, such as - smart-phones, laptops or tablet computers, will be able to use the service while travelling by the buses.
According to the a2i official, if the buses run at 55-60 km speed per hour, the passengers will not face any disruption in getting the service.
The passengers could visit urbanlaunchtad.org.brtc to know the location of buses.
There is an assessment that at least 10 per cent passengers use smart-phones in the buses. So they will be able to use their time properly by using the WiFi internet service.
Besides, the buses will also have vehicle tracking system, so that their real-time position can be known.