WIFI on public buses in Penang?

I came across this piece of news in The Star (online) this afternoon and makes me ponder for awhile.




Published: Wednesday May 13, 2009 MYT 1:56:00 PM


Free WiFi on Rapid Penang buses

GEORGE TOWN: Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd will be providing free WiFi access to its passengers, the first bus company in the country to do so, beginning with a three-month trial on two buses.

Its chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad said the company was installing the facility in two buses: The first plies the route between Balik Pulau and the Bayan Lepas International Airport, and the second on the Teluk Bahang-Batu Feringgi-Weld Key route.

He said use of the WiFi facility would be free and that the buses would have special stickers for easy identification by passengers.

“After three months, if response from passengers is good, we’ll have the facility installed in stages in all of our 180 buses, and also the additional 200 buses which will be delivered to us by the end of the year,” he told a press conference here Wednesday.

Azhar said the facility was provided to enable passengers to surf the Internet in the bus before arriving at their destinations. -- Bernama

Wifi on the buses is great but I think the basics must be there before other facilities, no matter how beneficial, can be fully enjoyed by the commuters. Just take a good look at our public transport system in Penang. Can anyone say that it is reliable? The buses often do not keep to schedule. They are all the time overcrowded especially at peak hours. The frequency of trips is not good enough for the public to find it convenient and beneficial to use. Most of the buses are just not clean enough for comfort. And the attitude of the bus drivers?....a lot of room for improvement.

Oh, come on, En Azhar, improve the basic facilities first before going into things like WIFI on the buses. I think the commuter will be very much more appreciative if the basics are improved rather that providing something that cannot be enjoyed. Do you seriously think the commuters will really make use of the WIFI facilities? Maybe some will if the ride is more reliable and comfortable. But for now, lets improve the basics first.