Mobile communication, in particular the internet connection, is becoming increasingly important. People demand more and better services in the field of communication and data. There are examples that clearly show that a good internet connection can lead to an increase in passenger numbers and greater customer loyalty.
The first to offer this type of service to their customers were the hotels, by offering their customers a wireless Internet connection. Not much later, industry was added, then other businesses such as restaurants or cafes, and then it was offered in entire cities by local governments. Undoubtedly, this is a strong trend towards a permanent internet connection that is demanded by all of us.
This new service did not enter the bus sector until later. And although this is still in its early stages in Europe, the figures clearly show the tendency for bus companies to offer more and more internet on board. Today we can say that internet on board buses and trains is a reality and a common phenomenon in some countries where connectivity and mobility of passengers is the norm and not an exception considered “luxury”.
The first thought that comes to a bus operator's mind when considering whether to offer this service is whether he can recoup the investment.
The approach here must be innovative and not traditional, because normally no supplement can be asked for the presence of free internet. But how can the investment be recovered? The answer is simple, this is an additional service with a high added value that enables the bus company to be more competitive in its offer, by distinguishing itself from its competitors who, at comparable prices, offer this service, which is in increasing demand. , DO NOT offer.
The result is that the bus company has more chances to successfully close a transaction and that is where the payback is made and not in extra income that a payment for the Wi-Fi service would mean.
There are several factors or types of transport services that decisively influence the value judgment of the passengers:
* As it is a moving environment, their mobile devices are prone to poor signal reception, so a good Wi-Fi system already improves their browsing experience.
* Foreign passengers normally disable their data to avoid high roaming charges. In this case, a WiFi service is even more important, because in this way we offer our passengers the opportunity to stay in touch via their social networks, email, etc.
* When traveling to multiple countries, the passenger will normally have to turn off their data traffic to avoid high roaming charges as previously described. Today, there are multi-country solutions that enable bus operators to offer their passengers internet access without roaming charges. In this case, the WiFi service is even more important because it is an important need.
* Services at conventions, congresses and universities, where the travelers are major internet consumers and thus need Wi-Fi service.
That said, what exactly is a Wi-Fi system? In essence, it is a router with a mobile data connection, that is, in the router there is a SIM card from a telephone provider with a data contract. But if we follow this reasoning and definition, we could also take a bus as an example, the definition of which would in principle be a chassis and body. However, we all know that this is a broad term with many important variants.
* What kind of transport service do I offer? Are they multi-day trips? Will I pass through multiple countries? Or are they scheduled services with subsidized cards? Here are a number of variants that we have to take into account, because they are decisive when choosing between the different solutions.
* Do I need high speed because of the profile of my customers? Maybe we should consider a 4G solution.
* Would I like to be able to monitor my Wi-Fi system, that is, to what extent it is used and how? This is important for transport companies with a well-developed Quality Department or for companies without such a department, but where there is a corporate culture that is focused on the quality of the services.
* Will the system be implemented in a large fleet? If this is the case, we need a centralized solution to make management easier.
It is clear that the choice of a Wi-Fi system is not a trivial matter and that several aspects must be taken into account in order to
make the right choice and not regret the choice made in the future. We often see that these aspects are only analyzed afterwards and in many cases, when the choice is wrong, it means that an extra investment is needed to get a WiFi solution that fits the characteristics of the transport company.
In subsequent posts we will learn more about Wi-Fi systems and discuss in detail the aspects to consider when deciding which system best suits our needs.
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