Wifi Revolution

Parvus Corporation has announced that the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has launched a free wireless Internet service for its entire fleet of over-the-road commuter buses, which has now been equipped with Parvus' RiderNet mobile access point technology.

 

UTA operates 60 express route coaches that serve approximately 5,000 passengers commuting daily to and from Davis, Weber, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah counties.

 

Indicating that Utah Transit Authority chose Parvus not only because of it being an industry leader in passenger Wi-Fi, but also because of the high level of service and support, Kyle Brimley, project manager of technology deployment at UTA, said in a statement, “Parvus has demonstrated experience with other transit properties around the nation and offers comprehensive management and reporting tools that enable UTA to deliver reliable Internet service to our patrons.”

 

As part of its contract, Parvus also provides UTA with wireless functionality for its fleet operations to download route and schedule adherence data from each bus’ onboard computer using the same Wi-Fi router and roof antenna as for passenger Wi-Fi.

 

Brimley explained that upon returning to the bus yard, each wireless router equipped with Parvus DepotLink software becomes a wireless download system as it detects and authenticates with UTA's bus garage network.

 

Officials pointed out that this multi-purpose use of a single Wi-Fi system eliminates the need for multiple antennas or wireless equipment and is a first of its kind in the transit industry.

 

“UTA’s requirements for this project were very challenging. As a technology leader in public transit, they demand only the best from their suppliers,” said Andrew Hunt, director of transportation programs at Parvus. “We are honored to have been selected to work on this project with such a forward-looking transit authority.”

 

RiderNet3 is Parvus’ third-generation transit Wi-Fi solution for implementing high-speed Internet access onboard mass transit vehicles (bus, train). Officials said that the product uses an EV-DO Revision A cellular backhaul from Sprint’s (News - Alert) Power Vision network, delivering typical download speeds of 450-800 kbps.

 

Passengers can connect to the Internet using laptop computers, cellular phones, PDAs, or other Wi-Fi enabled devices, according to officials.

 

In 2007, Parvus and UTA had concluded a successful Wi-Fi pilot on four of UTA’s Ogden express route buses. After a public bid in November 2007, UTA awarded Parvus with a contract to provide passenger Wi-Fi equipment and installation for 60 additional buses, and also ongoing remote system monitoring, content filtering, and 1-800 user phone support services.

 

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