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Street surfing: Internet-equipped buses hit Brooklyn streets

Street surfing: Internet-equipped buses hit Brooklyn streets

Talk about high-speed internet!

The buses of tomorrow hit the streets of Brooklyn last week, providing the same wireless internet access to above-ground commuters that subway straphangers have enjoyed since January.

Three new buses flush with wireless internet and digital charging ports arrived in Brooklyn as part of the initial rollout of some 86 shiny new people haulers, which will continue to be introduced at a rate of 3–5 busses per week until mid-October.

The web-surfing shuttles will serve the B4, B8, B9, B11, B16, B35, B37. B43, B61, B63, B67, B68, B69, and B70 lines.

The transit authority’s new toys are part of a $1.3 billion state investment in the city’s bus fleet, which will culminate in 2,042 new future-ready land crawlers by 2022.

The authority also plans to retrofit existing buses with the same digital-age amenities as the new shuttles, in addition to erecting partitions walling off drivers from the masses and installing security cameras that will “enhance the safety of both bus operators and passengers,” according to the governor’s office.

Additional future-tech on the horizon for Brooklyn buses includes a collision avoidance system the transit authority hopes will prevent some 1,600 buses from colliding with stuff annually by mid-2018, and digital information screens displaying route information and travel advisories planned for some 3,600 busses by 2020.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.