If you’re tired of waiting for BMTC buses and getting bored, you will have some respite soon. BMTC officials are planning to introduce free WiFi at all major bus stations in Bengaluru.
According to BMTC Chief Systems Manager Nagendra, the transport body is in talks with a private firm, which has been chosen to provide the internet facilities.
Bus stations including Kempegowda Bus Terminal, Shivaji Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Banashankari, Yeshwanthpur, Jayanagar, Kengerei, Whitefield, Koramagala, Domlu and Bannarghatta will have the free WiFi facility.
“BMTC is still in talks with the vendor, who has been chosen for the job. The plan will be piloted within two weeks and then it will roll out after that,” Nagendra said.
The vendor company had offered a minimum bandwidth speed of 7.2 Mbps currently, the same as the Vayu Vajra buses. However, BMTC is still chalking out rates for downloads.
The metropolitan transport body had in April announced that free WiFi will be provided for 200 air conditioned buses from Kempegowda International Aairport to IT corridors including ITPB and Electronic City.
“There are some technical issues we are sorting out and the pilot project is still on. Currently, only Vayu Vajra buses have WiFi and passengers can connect their phones or laptops. These free WiFi facilities will not allow live streaming but is made available only for browsing purpose,” he added.
This is however, not the first time BMTC is trying to implement this service. It was in 2010 that the BMTC first launched a pilot project to provide Wi-fi in a few Vayu Vajra buses, that ferry passengers to the airport. With a good start, the service was expanded to 60 buses in four years, but was later discontinued, when the private company that provides internet backed off from the project.
“We are trying to get back the passengers we lost to cab aggregating companies. We will ensure that the plan is implemented successfully,” a senior BMTC official said.