MTA Buses With Wi-Fi And Charging Ports Are Coming To Manhattan And Brooklyn

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Brand new MTA buses equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports are coming to five bus lines in Manhattan and 14 lines in Brooklyn, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week. (For more New York City news, sign up for news alerts from Patch here.)

These smart-phone-supporting buses will gradually replace their low-tech predecessors over the next year, Cuomo's office said. The buses will be outfitted with their own Wi-Fi network and dozens of USB ports throughout the bus, so you can recharge and browse the web while traveling through the city. Buses will have between 35 and 55 USB ports, Cuomo's office said.

Six Manhattan bus routes will be getting 79 new buses this year. Manhattan bus routes getting the upgrade include the M14, the M15, the M101, the M102 and the M103. Between three and five new buses will be added to the Manhattan fleet until these bus lines are completely updated.

In Brooklyn, 14 bus lines are set to get the upgrade, including the B4, the B8, the B9, the B11, the B16, the B35, the B37, the B43, the B61, the B63, the B67, the B68, the B69 and the B70. Cuomo's offices says the 86 new buses should be fully updated by mid-October.

These tech-friendly buses first hit the street in the Bronx in March. The initiative is part of a larger plan to add more than 2,000 new buses to the MTA's stock over five years.

Image courtesy of Chris Torres on Wikimedia Commons.