Tokyo Subway Users get Free WiFi

neil on 06/04/2013 - 22:01

When I was in Japan last year, it was difficult finding free wi-fi. Plenty of paid services but hard to find something free.

Tokyo Metro has initiated a free Wi-Fi service trial for 30 of its train stations, which starts from April and will end on July 31, 2013.

…

However, users can only use the service for 15 minutes each session, and no more than five times a day, it added. A company spokesperson said the 15 minutes cap was based on the assumption that commuters will only use the service while waiting for their trains to arrive at the station.

Guess they don't want people sitting in stations all day on the Internet.

Via [ZDNET]

Travel

Comments

  • TheAviator on 06/04/2013 - 22:15

    Would like to see something like that on the trains here but I think it will be some decades away :(

    • Luminary on 07/04/2013 - 10:22

      Considering we can't even get reception in the tunnels this might be a while away. Unless they've fixed this since the last time I took a train? I remember my friend's uncle from China failing to comprehend how we couldn't get reception while underground.

  • WaffleCrusader on 06/04/2013 - 22:20

    The newer Queensland trains have free WiFi, not the stations themselves though.

  • plmko on 06/04/2013 - 23:29
    +3

    "commuters will only use the service while waiting for their trains to arrive at the station."

    Do you even have to wait for trains in Tokyo lol.

    • StewBalls on 06/04/2013 - 23:53
      +1

      LOL, yeah that was one of my biggest shocks when I hit Tokyo, trains that ran literally to the minute! :o

      I'd forgo the wifi in NSW just to have trains that ran even slightly on-time! ;)

      • Gina Rinehart on 07/04/2013 - 01:20
        +1

        It's like that everywhere in Japan. The Shinkansen (bullet train) has an average arrival within 6 seconds of the scheduled time including all stoppages and delays. That's taken from hundreds of thousands of samples!

        And it's not just the Shinkansen, but all train lines. Ridiculously on-time and if there are delays for whatever reason (weather or accident, etc), you'll know about it. When I got there I had to adjust my watch to make sure I was in sync with Japan Rail Standard Time (I guess that's a thing).

        I assumed everyone going to Japan knew how efficient they were!

      • Luminary on 07/04/2013 - 10:25

        It would be dangerous for trains to be late when they are running so close! Also, I think it's great that the Shinkansen's have power points to charge things. It was a shame they didn't have wifi on the Shinkansen when I was there at the end of 2011. The long distance trains in Korea did though, but then wifi is everywhere there.

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