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Working with Sacramento-based company Wi-Fi Rail Inc., BART is hoping to provide high-speed wireless access throughout its entire system.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - BART riders will eventually be able to surf the Internet while riding on the train, officials from the transit agency said Thursday, after new pilot test results reaffirmed that the program’s pioneering technology works when riding above and below ground.
The pilot project is being conducted by Wi-Fi Rail Inc., which is in negotiations with BART to provide the high-speed wireless network throughout the entire system.
“We rode the system 200 to 300 times, and each time the results were extremely positive,” said Cooper Lee, founder of the Sacramento-based company. “We tried to load up our computers with as many applications as possible and we still found that the connection speed was fast.”
As part of the pilot, the company is already providing wireless service in San Francisco’s four downtown stations.
Lee said the company hopes to install wireless access on the line between Lake Merritt Station in Oakland and Balboa Park Station in San Francisco in four months time — as soon as ongoing contract negotiations are completed with BART. In less than two years, BART’s entire system would be wireless, according to Lee.
BART spokesman Linton Johnson said his organization was pleased with the wireless program’s progress, although he could not give a specific timetable for when contract negotiations with Wi-Fi Rail might be completed.
It will cost Wi-Fi Rail $20 million to install the technology, and $6 million annually to maintain it. BART will pay nothing — even if the program is a failure, said Linton, adding that Wi-Fi Rail would also have to pay the costs to uninstall its equipment.
Wi-Fi rail is banking on making up their costs by charging a subscription fee for its services, but BART officials insisted on having a cost-free version available for its customers.
If riders don’t feel like paying $30 monthly fee, they will have to use a version with advertisements.
Regional companies like Caltrain and Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor are exploring a similar wireless program with Wi-Fi Rail, according to Lee. The Altamont Commuter Express is also in talks, but with other wireless providers, he said.
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:12 PM MST on Fri., Sep. 5, 2008 re: "BART has commuters all a-Twitter"
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8:17 PM MST on Tue., Jul. 29, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
I would if bart has a problem with Craigslist buy sell transactions being conducted on BART property, because there is a new bay area classified website called transitbayareaclassifieds.com that is setup for BART riders to buy and sell buy using BART's stations as platform to allow riders to conduct transactions. I love the concept that this site has, riders could know where another rider's home BART station is which makes it easier to find that buyer or seller in a way that Craigslist, or other classified websites can't do. I also read some stuff about this site on the blog site, Bartrage.com, in where the founder of this ad site is defending his or her right to run this classified ad and using the BART system stations as a meeting place for buyers and sellers conduct transaction. I think that if BART riders are using BART trains or platforms to meet with another person via a classified website, it is a private matter. I buy sell on Criag all the time. I would love to use this site.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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MUNI Sucks said:
MUNI sucks anyway or form another subway where are they gonna build it a hole in wall at Powell Station. MUNI needs to focus on their on-time service and deal with unhelping, lazy MUNI drivers. Not building some hole in the wall in Powell Station or underneath Powell Station. We have buses and Cable Cars you know it's not kill anyone off board a BART train or slow Muni Train walk a few yards to a bus.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
visitacion valley is not a hot spot connecting point, so why is that area even considered? anybody can get to chinatown from another number of buses. as for little hollywood, which area is that anyway?
4 agree | 1 disagree
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Bay Area Taxpayer said:
A another subway in SF ??? !!! Oh nooooo, absolutely not needed. There is no need, there is no financing, there is no reason to build it, unless you want to give the city the green light to start hiring more engineers and public works crews to do the work. Hire Parsons-Brickerhoff and Bechtel to do the construction management and see how many billions will need to be raised ... and maybe after all the work is done and payed for with taxpayer dollars some leaks will surface to flood Muni, Bart and the rest of the cockroaches already down there ... go ahead start digging to nowhere.
4 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Our transit systems can barely handle the current ridership on the existing lines (MUNI at best has a 70% on-time arrival), much less an increase in riders. With the City and County of San Francisco in hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, how will new transit lines be financed?
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
BART is filthy. People are eating and drinking all of the time now. With the plan to take more seats out and make more people stand, sippy cup or not--there will be lots of spills on anyone who has a seat. And as everyone is jostled as people try to get out of the crowded trains, more spilling will occur. Then we will have the "sippy cup police" checking to see that the right cup is in use, and more garbage as people abandon their empty cups. Bad idea.
4 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
food and drinks on bart is a BAD idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's just going to lead to problems....
7 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
What a joke....the cloth seats with the foam padding are filthy from riders propping their dirty feet on these seats. You want to debate sippy coffee cups....get real!
7 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Are they really going to "pore" over the proposal?
7 agree | 7 disagree
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Sippy Cups? You're Kidding Me said:
Maintain the ban on food and drink on BART! The good folks who clean the trains already have enough to deal with, since the system's passengers are incredibly ill-mannered. This nimrod dribbled coffee all over the gentleman sitting beneath her this morning and expressed shock when he got more than a little upset. A high school student was munching on a Big Mac that filled the car with the nauseating odor produced by that garbage. When another passenger pointed out that food was not allowed on BART, he responded with some sort of insult, although since his English was abominable I couldn't decipher it. Why don't people like that just stay in their own country? I'm astonished by the complete disregard for others that people increasing exhibit in this society. Perhaps given the infantilism of so many ostensible adults in San Francisco, the analogy of the sippy cup is not quite as absurd as it seems on the surface.
7 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
bart is already smelly and dirty. And allowing to drink coffee is a very bad idea.
8 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I don't drink coffee and I totally don't like the idea about people drinking coffee next to me while I enjoy the nice peaceful ride.
6 agree | 5 disagree
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Totally Misleading Headline said:
Apparently she didn't tell the Examiner about "it".
6 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Segways don't follow the same rules as bicycles - BART requires bicycles to be carried by their users up and down the stairs. No-one is lifting and carrying a 105 lb. Segway.
7 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
What next on BART horses? Come on there isn't any room on a bart train, especially during commute hours. And what if there is an emergency and a train as to be evacuated? Bart needs to set limits. Its bad enough sometimes getting on a bart train and those people with bikes are blocking the aisle and when you ask if they could move their bikes, they just sit there with an attitude! wanna bike, go up on the street!
8 agree | 9 disagree
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Don't Live Near the Airport... said:
“They weigh only 105 pounds, take up as much space as a file cabinet and there’s no noise, no emissions.” Jim, will all due respect, you're a nimrod. Given that many motorists have abandoned their cars and opted to ride BART instead, the trains are completely packed, especially during rush hour. There simply isn't room for a "file-cabinet" sized object on them. Regular riders already have to contend with stupid cyclists who, despite knowing that their vehicles are banned on BART during commute hours, none the less bring their bikes on the system. A couple of weeks ago a group of us had to forcibly remove one such idiot from a train that was packed to 150% capacity. And besides, adults look idiotic riding those things.
6 agree | 10 disagree
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Lynn Osborn said:
Not sure if you are aware, but our agency (now called 511 Contra Costa), in partnership with BART and funded by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, developed the original BART Pilot Student Discount Program in 1996, with participating schools in Contra Costa, Alameda and San Francisco. That first year about 2,000+ students participated and the results were such that BART continued the program of offering discounts to students to this day. BART was worried originally about lost revenue in offering discounts to students. I guess that is no longer a concern. This online option for students will be a welcome improvement for school administrators, I'm sure!
6 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The train is a filthy mess with homeless riders who urinate on the seats and floor.. come on.. WiFi??? Get the trashy people and beggars off the train first,then I will be impressed.
12 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
as a regular BART rider, i could care less whether the BART trains have wi-fi. more importantly, please keep them running, running on time and relatively clean.
7 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
SF bus commuters can't even count on a bus coming reasonably on schedule and having room to let us on, forget getting a seat. And BART riders are getting WiFi???
9 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bart is not so cooperative to support Translink, it created quite a few obstacles to dealying the Translink.
65 agree | 60 disagree
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Mike C said:
Unfortunately, BART has thumbed its nose at its most dedicated riders ... those who ride every day and use Commute Checks to purchase their BART tickets are unable to use EZ Rider, because BART has been unwilling to develop a process for crediting Commute Checks towards EZ Rider card value.
63 agree | 64 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
can't find "page" to sign up for seniors with EZ riders
62 agree | 57 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Gee. BART learns that people like to have facilities in their stations. Big news. Next they'll "discover" that their riders like trains that come frequently and go fast! Duh!
64 agree | 63 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
before they put in retail at daly city bart, they need to clean up the bird crap that's all over the place. daly city is probably the dirtiest bart station down the peninsula, with colma a very close 2nd.
68 agree | 61 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Keep writing informative stuff Mike..
107 agree | 99 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Good writing Mike...
104 agree | 116 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
There are NO timed transfers from Millbrae to SF Airport on Sundays. The BART train departs Millbrae at :07, :22, :37 and :52 past the hour. Travel time to San Bruno is four minutes. When the train arrives in San Bruno, the SF Airport train departed ONE minute ago, at: :10, :25, :40 and :55 past the hour. Who is BART fooling ?
109 agree | 111 disagree
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