Riders on 102 Markham bus route will have access to Wi-Fi starting today
For the first time ever, riders travelling on the TTC’s 102 Markham Road bus route will now be able to use free onboard Wi-Fi.
The expansion of Wi-Fi on city buses is part of the TTC’s six-month pilot program to expand internet access on its vehicles. The first to be serviced was the 35 Jane bus route.
The transit agency has provided commuters with free internet access at all of its subway stations since 2018, but now it hopes to eventually roll out the service to its entire bus and streetcar network.
“I'm proud to see the free onboard public Wi-Fi rollout expand to the 102 Markham Road bus in Scarborough,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a news release on Monday.
“Just last month, we launched the Wi-Fi pilot on the 35 Jane bus and we are already seeing its popularity growing with riders … All of the results from this pilot will help as the TTC prepares to have a Wi-Fi Network on buses and streetcars across the city."
The TTC said that since the launch of Wi-Fi services on the 35 Jane bus route, which started on May 31, its staff have seen its popularity grow. In the first week, passengers on the route spent over 2,100 hours on the internet during their commutes, the transit agency said.
“The success of this program in just the last two weeks only emphasizes how much our customers want to see modernization on the system,” TTC CEO Rick Leary said in a statement.
“We know that especially now, connectivity is essential, even on-the-go, and we’re both proud and excited to be improving our customers’ commutes one route at a time.”
The transit agency says the information gathered during the pilot will help to inform a request for proposal for a “fully-managed customer Wi-Fi network on buses and streetcars to be issued later this year.”
“Providing Wi-Fi on our buses is one of many initiatives underway at the TTC to modernize our system and provide a better experience for transit riders,” TTC Chair Jaye Robinson said in the news release.
“I am looking forward to seeing more routes equipped with Wi-Fi moving forward.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.