NYC's WiFi-equipped buses will debut in Queens this year
The high-tech buses will also have USB charging ports.
Looks like New Yorkers won't have to wait years before they see those high-tech buses state Governor Andrew Cuomo promised last month. Besides outfitting subway stations with WiFi connections, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is also gearing up to deploy the first 70 WiFi-equipped buses in Queens in the second or third quarter of 2016. The new vehicles will also have up to 55 USB charging ports on board, as well as three LCD screens that flash stop announcements, transfers and other information.
After its debut in Queens, the MTA expects 70 buses to start operating in Brooklyn, 209 in the Bronx and 18 in Manhattan over the next two years. The agency plans to release 2,042 high-tech public buses in all to replace 40 percent of its current fleet. That doesn't mean New Yorkers have to fight for space on board to be able to connect to the internet or to charge a dying phone on the road, though. The MTA is also retrofitting its existing buses with the same amenities (WiFi + USB) and aims to be done by the end of 2017.
