Transit users can expect free Wi-Fi on their commutes thanks to a deal struck between TransLink and Shaw Communications Inc.
The service will begin in 2020 and will be open to all transit riders regardless of whether they’re Shaw customers.
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said in a statement that his is first transit authority in Canada to offer Wi-Fi for free.
Shaw will install and operate the service, which Desmon said will come at no additional cost to customers or taxpayers.
TransLink and Shaw previously struck a similar deal that has seen free Wi-Fi available to riders at SeaBus terminals and ferries since 2016.
The partners will begin trial runs in 2019 but they do not expect the full network to be completed until 2025.
Rollout will begin on SkyTrain and buses, with plans to eventually expand to the West Coast Express, HandyDART vehicles and community shuttles buses.
TransLink's latest foray into tech comes after it announced late last month it would begin offering 2,000 Compass wristbands to allow riders to make payments at card-readers.
