Public Transit Gets Wi-Fi and Concierge

In an attempt to lure more employees of high-tech companies to use public transit, the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority has proposed buses with wi-fi, reclining seats, and even a concierge to coordinate dry-cleaning services.

1 minute read

March 2, 2011, 12:00 PM PST

By Victor Negrete


From Good Magazine:

The idea is that the Silicon Valley commuter is "a different animal. This (is) a person who wouldn't give up convenience of a car unless they could trade it in for something even more useful. They knew that they'd have to make public transportation look like a tech-friendly luxury-a service that could help them be even more efficient during their commute. Brute Labs proposed perks like reserved seating, wi-fi, gourmet snacks, and a concierge that could coordinate dry cleaning and postal services."

Also, writes Alissa Walker, "they proposed several changes to the routes themselves, creating more of a hub-and-spoke system that would get employees nearer to major tech campuses, where they could then ride their bikes the rest of the way. The routes for these changes, they said, could come from tech companies like Google, who could analyze transit and ridership data and help maximize efficiency."

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 in GOOD Magazine

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