The Bermuda Triangle and the mystery of Stagecoach’s missing WiFi
The Triangle Bus service which runs between Herne Bay and Canterbury has been missing its WiFi service which was previously provided for free.
Considering it has been announced recently that most fares will increase by 40p on a single fare and 70p on a return fare, some are surprised that they’ve decided to axe this service, especially in times of hardship.
We took two separate journeys on buses between Herne Bay and Canterbury and the internet was disconnected on both.
Although most people these days are expected to have mobiles phones with their own internet, there are still some who may not have their own connection and might rely on this service to have something to occupy their time on a mundane bus journey.
We will continue to keep this decision under review in line with feedback, costs and future development.
A spokesperson for Stagecoach has confirmed the service has been removed “In common with many organisations,in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, we reviewed all aspects of our operation and made the decision to turn off free WIFI on most bus services”
They added “The average is just 16 minutes and our review showed that the vast majority of passengers are not using the bus WiFi for these short journeys”
However peak times journeys can often take up to 45 minutes, due to congestion on Sturry Road as there are only two roads between Herne Bay and Canterbury.
Listen, the pandemic isn’t over until Stagecoach turn their wifi back on. #HandsFaceSpace
— Mark Carnall (@mark_carnall) November 23, 2022
The spokesperson also added: “In addition, most customers are using bus services to travel to work, college, university and retail/leisure facilities where WiFi will normally be readily available.
“For these reasons we made the decision to turn it off, however we are constantly monitoring customer feedback and we will continue to keep this decision under review in line with feedback, costs and future development.”
If you would like to have your say or see the internet back on bus services visit: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/help-and-contact/forms/feedback-form and leave your feedback.