Browsing on the bus in Israel

Israel is a country where public transportation is too frequently in the news for the wrong reasons. Bus bombings more often than not snatch the headlines in this troubled Middle-Eastern hotspot, but one bus company in Israel wants to make buses another type of hotspot altogether – a wireless one.
Israel’s Metropolin bus service has invested over $260 million in kitting out its bus fleet with free wifi for passengers to enjoy while on their daily commutes. The service, which kicked off on May 1 of this year is already getting a fantastic response from passengers, who now have a more entertaining option than staring out the window at rush hour traffic.
Wifi isn’t the only hi-tech feature of the new bus fleet. Metropolin also boasts that passengers can send an SMS or call a number to get real-time updates about the arrival time of their bus. The response is generated by an on-bus GPS-computerized system.
The new buses also apparently meet strict European regulations regarding concerns of air pollution and emissions.
“Is it fast enough for you?” a concerned bus driver asked this reporter as she surfed the web whilst on the way to an event in Tel Aviv this afternoon. A quick speed test revealed that the network was pulling speeds of some 5Mbs, which is pretty reasonable by all accounts.
“In America, it’s probably much faster,” said the driver, shaking his head sadly. “Actually, in the USA, we have to pay for Wifi in most public places,” I replied.
“What? even in the airport?” he asked incredulously. “Yes, most of them.”
“But not in cafes!” he declared. “Actually, even in cafes…”
“Well, certainly not in shopping malls, then.” “Yes, even in shopping malls.”
“Even in the doctor’s waiting rooms?” he said, tut-tutting. “Erm, yes, if they even have it available.”
“So what you’re saying is, Israel is actually quite advanced?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
I’d say so.