 Riverside
Transit Agency Adds Wi-Fi and
Satellite TV on Murrieta/Temecula
to Oceanside Buses
Beginning
next week, commuters on the
Riverside Transit Agency (RTA)
CommuterLink Route 202 can
enjoy free wireless/Wi-Fi Internet
access and satellite television
while traveling between Southwest
Riverside County and Oceanside.
RTA is the third in the nation
and the first in Southern California
to offer free Internet access
on public buses. The hi-tech
upgrades were added to help
passengers be productive and
relax while commuting on the
route, which averages a little
over an hour each way.
“Our
goal is to make commuting a
more pleasant experience,” said
RTA Board Chairman Jim Ayres.
“The free Wi-Fi Internet access
allows passengers to work their
email and surf the Web. They
can also catch up on the latest
news via satellite TV on the
newly installed TV screens.
Of course, passengers can still
sit back in the reclining cushioned
seats and take a nap while someone
else fights the traffic.”
The
new technology was unveiled
at a special event at The Promenade
in Temecula on May 13. Passengers
can begin using the upgrades
May 16. Buses equipped with
the amenities can be identified
by logos placed on the sides
and rear of the vehicle.
On-board
Wi-Fi usage requires the passenger
to have a laptop equipped with
a Wi-Fi or wireless network
card. Usage is identical to
connecting with any other wireless
network. Both PCs and Macs can
be used.
Route
202 service is powered by Cingular
Wireless’ high-speed GPRS/EDGE
network, which delivers the
fastest national wireless data
network in the U.S. Cingular’s
EDGE network is available in
13,000 cities and towns and
along nearly 40,000 miles of
interstate highways in the U.S.
The
Wi-Fi system is made possible
by a new on-board wireless router
from Junxion, Inc. The Junxion
Box router acts as a bridge
between passenger devices (laptops,
handhelds) with Wi-Fi and the
Internet through Cingular’s
network.
Working
in consultation with MSA Systems,
RTA chose this particular solution
because of its ability to easily
adapt to Cingular’s evolving
network technologies, leading
to a significant cost savings
in the long run. Passenger connection
speeds will vary depending on
usage and terrain but will initially
run about twice that of landline
dial-up service.
For
the satellite TV system, each
bus utilizes six seven-inch
flat screen monitors and an
onboard speaker system to provide
breaking news.
Ayres
added that RTA will examine
adding these amenities to buses
serving other commuter routes.
“Depending on customer usage,
we will look at the possibility
of additional Wi-Fi and satellite
TV installations on other CommuterLink
buses,” said Ayres.
Equipment
purchase and installation costs
for the three Route 202 buses
came from a federal capital
grant received by RTA.
Route
202 travels from the Murrieta/Temecula
area to Oceanside with stops
at the Murrieta Wal-Mart, Promenade
Mall, Park and Ride Lot 19 at
I-15/Hwy 76, and Oceanside Transit
Center. The route has connections
in Riverside County with RTA
Routes 23, 79, 206 and 208.
In Oceanside, the route connects
to The Coaster, North County
Transit District buses, Greyhound
and Amtrak. Service begins at
4:12 am and runs weekdays during
morning and evening commute
hours. Cash fares are $2.25
each way, or passengers can
receive discounted fares by
purchasing a one-day pass for
$3.75 or a 31-day pass for $43.
The
commuter buses are equipped
with high-back, cushioned seats,
many of which recline and offer
folding tray tables and 12-volt
receptacles for powering PCs
or other electronic devices.
Providing
over 7.5 million rides a year,
the Riverside Transit Agency
is the primary public transportation
provider for Western Riverside
County, operating 38 fixed routes,
5 commuter routes and 15 demand
response services. RTA’s service
area spans 2,500 square miles,
the second largest in the nation.
For bus route and schedule information
contact RTA at 1-800-800-7821
or log on to their website at
www.RiversideTransit.com.
More
photos available upon request.
Cingular
Wireless is the largest wireless
carrier in the United States,
Serving 50.4 million customers.
Cingular, a joint venture between
SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:
SBC) and BellSouth Corporation
(NYSE: BLS), has the largest
digital voice and data network
in the nation -- the ALLOVER(SM)
network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile
community of any national wireless
carrier. Cingular is the only
U.S. wireless carrier to offer
Rollover(SM), the wireless plan
that lets customers keep their
unused monthly minutes. Details
of the company are available
at http://www.cingular.com.
Get Cingular Wireless press
releases e-mailed to you automatically.
Sign up at http://www.cingular.com/newsroom.
Junxion,
Inc. is the leading provider
of mobile connection gateway
products. Its Junxion Box™
is the first solution of its
kind in the market, making it
easier for people using Wi-Fi
or Ethernet-ready computing
devices to create a portable
LAN that can connect with high-speed
data services via PC card modem
from any of the major wireless
carriers. Junxion’s management
team includes founders of the
first carrier to commercially
deploy true broadband-speed
wireless data services in the
North America. Junxion, Inc.
is headquartered in Seattle,
WA. Additional information
is available at www.junxion.com.
MSA
Systems, Inc. is a leading provider
of WI-FI (802.11 b/g) mobility
solutions. Working hand in glove
with the RTA team, MSA Systems
identified RTA’s goals and objectives,
devised a cost effective cutting
edge wireless solution and implemented
it in a short period of time.
Since
its inception in 1996, MSA Systems
has successfully integrated
leading edge wireless technology
and business applications to
provide reliable, high performance
and cost effective wireless
business solutions for customers
in a variety of industries.
MSA Systems mobile solutions
can be found in mobile hot spots,
major university campuses and
warehouse operations nationwide.
MSA Systems is headquartered
in Mountain View, CA. Visit
us at www.msasys.com or call
(650) 961-9000 for further information.
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