Surfing on the bus

MORE and more public transport companies are making it possible for travellers to surf the internet free of charge when riding their vehicles. This is already possible in Bratislava and its surrounding region, and in the east of the country as well.

Private bus operator Slovak Lines announced on March 20 that free WiFi internet is available on 32 buses for travellers using its regional lines connecting Bratislava with the Záhorie region, the TASR newswire wrote. Originally, the free WiFi should have been a bonus added to the integrated transport system in Bratislava Region, a project whose launch, originally slated for the beginning of March, was postponed. While it is not currently known when the integrated transport system will be launched, the free WiFi is already available.

Free WiFi has also been available in three city public trolleybuses in Prešov as of March 18 as part of a trial operation, the SITA newswire wrote. Public city transit passengers in Košice can also use free WiFi in 20 vehicles. Bratislava’s city transport company has been offering free WiFi in 50 of its buses since December.

For now the state Slovak passenger railway company is offering free WiFi only in first-class cars of IC trains, with a plan to extend this service to second-class IC train cars and in domestic fast trains within the next three years, the TA3 news channel reported in February. Free WiFi is a standard service provided by the private railway company RegioJet on its regional Bratislava-Komárno route.