Ontario rolling out free Wi-Fi on all GO Transit buses and some trains starting Monday

Thestar.com
Sept. 29, 2020
Kevin Jiang

The province has announced that it’s providing free Wi-Fi for GO Transit passengers on all buses and about half the trains starting Monday.

Passengers aboard all of the fleet’s 420 buses and roughly half of their 979 trains will have access to free Wi-Fi, the province said in a release Monday.

Riders will have access to 10 MB of data over a four-hour period every trip. If they sign on with registered Presto accounts, this limit is bumped up to 50 MB, the province.

The plan had been in the works since September 2019. During the initial announcement, associate Transportation Minister Kinga Surma said the five-year wireless internet contract would cost $65 million, in partnership with Icomera Canada Inc.

“More than 80 per cent of GO customers named Wi-Fi as their most desired amenity,” Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney said in the release.

“This initiative will make an important difference as it will help people work more efficiently, finish school projects or get important news and updates from family and friends.”

Wi-Fi installation on the rest of the trains is expected to be finished by early 2021.

In July, the TTC announced that it was also looking into providing free Wi-Fi on their buses and streetcars. The study would include surface-level transportation on routes servicing post secondary institutions and neighbourhood improvement areas, where there is less economic opportunity.

Wi-Fi has been available in all TTC subway stations since 2018.