If you need to feed your ever-growing Internet addiction, you will soon be able to do so in a Yellow Cab taxi in Vancouver, as the company has teamed up with TELUS to bring free Wi-Fi to its fleet, available to all passengers (regardless of mobile or Internet provider) and without a login requirement.
Free Wi-Fi in taxis will debut in the coming weeks, which both companies say marks Vancouver as the first city to offer free Internet access in taxis.
Anne-Marie LaBerge, Telus vice president, bank and marketing communications, told CBC News “Whether people are jumping in a taxi for a quick trip or a long ride, it’s the perfect time to catch up on email, post a selfie, stream some new music or video conference with a friend.”
According to president of Yellow Cab, Kulwant Sahota, “This new technology will have no impact on taxi fares.”
The free Wi-Fi program is slated for one year and may be extended if successful. Passengers can easily logon to the network by clicking ‘yes’ to join on a landing page.
The service will be powered by the TELUS network and Colony Networks, a Vancouver-based company, available to Yellow Cab’s 350 taxis which will feature a TELUS logo on them.
TELUS continues to bring free Wi-Fi services to Vancouver. Last fall, TELUS launched a free Wi-Fi trial on select Translink bus routes in the city, while last week, the company won a contract to bring free Wi-Fi to 43 locations across Vancouver.
I guess if you have a limited data plan and want to stream YouTube during your cab ride while stuck in Vancouver traffic, this may be the way to do it.
