1 of 1 2 of 1

It’s been a long time coming, but TransLink has finally announced that it will team up with Shaw Communications to offer free public Wi-Fi on its entire transit system.

TransLink riders, whether they are Shaw customers or not, will be able to connect for free during their commutes on bus, SkyTrain, or SeaBus.

Trials will run in 2019, and deployment of the Wi-Fi system will start in 2020. TransLink expects the entire network to be completed by 2025.

Free connectivity will begin with SkyTrain and buses, but the transit company also intends to eventually provide free Wi-Fi access on the West Coast Express, community shuttle buses, and HandyDART.

Shaw will install and operate the Wi-Fi system at no cost to TransLink or its customers. A similar agreement with the communications company has provided free Wi-Fi at SeaBus terminals and on SeaBus ferries since 2016.

“We have half-a-million people ride our system every day, and when we ask them what they’d like to see on transit, Wi-Fi is one of the most frequent requests,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond, in a press statement. “We’re proud to be the first transit authority in Canada to offer this free Wi-Fi service, and we’re doing it at no cost to our customers or taxpayers.”