MORE bus passengers in Swindon are now able to surf while they ride after Thamesdown Transport announced an expansion of on-board WiFi.

The bus operator has received funding from Swindon Borough Council’s Swindon Travel Choices scheme which has enabled it to fit WiFi to a further 29 vehicles. This means there are now double the number of buses in the town offering the service increasing from 29 to 58.

The newly fitted vehicles are used on services 1/1A, 13, 14, 17 and 27. This means that most passengers travelling between the town centre and Middleleaze, Haydon Wick, Liden, Eldene, Penhill and Park North will be able to use WiFi for free during their journeys.

Double-decker buses on Service 27 have also been fitted with technology.

These vehicles are in addition to those on Services 11, 12 and 15 which already offer passengers this extra.

Paul Jenkins, managing director of Thamesdown said: “Last year’s customer satisfaction survey showed that free WiFi was highly valued by our customers and so thanks to Swindon Travel Choices we can now offer this service to more passengers.

"Since WiFi has been available on these extra vehicles we have seen a 150 per cent increase in the use of WiFi, with a 50 per cent increase in the number of users.

“The latest WiFi units funded by Swindon Travel Choices are 4G-enabled, so in some cases you may get a faster internet connection when travelling on the bus than at home. The WiFi is free and easy to access, just look for the green WiFi signs on the buses.”

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for sustainability and transport, said: “95 per cent of the Swindon bus network is run commercially with no council subsidy, but investment still occurs and this one-off government money provides another small reason to help encourage people out of their cars and onto buses.

“Swindon is two years into a five-year programme of improving the borough’s road network in order to cope with future traffic levels but ultimately, if we are serious about reducing congestion, we need to reduce the number of cars on the road, and that number is increasing by two per cent every year.”