From Freight Transport to Aircraft Charters: A Transportation Blog

Many people use public service transportation, such as taxis, buses and trains to commute to their places of work on a daily basis. And with the working population increasingly feeling lack of adequate time, trips to and from work are being used to finish essential tasks on the move, particularly emails being opened and sent on a smartphone device. So how can transport companies and operators tap into and profit from these shifting trends? The answer is by installing internet connectivity in the transport buses and taxis. This article explains three ways how transport companies can benefit from the installation of mobile broadband in their transport vehicles.

Passenger experience

By installing a wireless internet infrastructure, transport companies can provide free Wi-Fi connectivity for passengers, an amenity that will definitely improve ridership. Indeed, this acts a value-added service that can help improve the experience of the rider while using the taxi or bus. They can surf the internet, check emails while on the move. As a result, this unique experience is bound to distinguish a transport company from its competition. The key focus of transport operators is to get riders occupying the seats and to this end, free Wi-Fi access does exactly that.

Vehicle area network

The second motivating factor is to provide a vehicle area network to enable connectivity between the vehicles' parts and applications. For instance, transport vehicles feature a telematics system, which calculates the driving speed, braking conditions, fuel conditions besides the pitch of the transport vehicle while on the move. That information is kept locally on a disk-based component in the transport vehicle. With the installation of a wireless internet infrastructure in the vehicle, the stored telematic information can be accessed remotely allowing transport operators to have a comprehensive tracking of their vehicles in real-time.

Vehicle security

The final, and quite important, motivating factor that persuades transport operators to install a wireless internet system is to improve vehicle security. While most transport vehicles are equipped with surveillance cameras on board, the issue that operators face is that the surveillance footage may only be uploaded once the vehicle reports back to the station or depot. With the deployment of wireless systems, CCTV cameras can be accessed here and now. An employee based at the headquarters can receive a notification from the driver regarding a problem on board, say a hijacking situation. That employee can immediately log in and view whatever that's going on and respond appropriately.