Transport for Wales Trials Satellite Broadband for Bus WiFi Services
Transport for Wales (TfW), which is a not-for-profit organisation owned by the Welsh Government, has begun trials of a new satellite internet solution to connect the unique demand-responsive transport (DRT) based fflecsi bus services in the rural area of Machynlleth (Powys). Users of the service can now benefit from onboard WiFi.
Unlike regular buses, which operate off a fixed timetable, the fflecsi bus service adopts a flexible alternative that picks up and drops off passengers within a designated service area, based on bookings made via the app or on the phone with our friendly bilingual call centre. The service uses technology to dynamically route buses according to passenger demand.
Suffice to say that it makes sense to complement this approach with onboard WiFi for passengers, which is where the new collaboration between TfW’s Innovation Lab, installers Dragon WiFi, and operator Lloyds Coaches comes into play. The announcement appears to indicate that OneWeb’s (Eutelsat) satellite broadband network is being used to supply data capacity for the buses, although we have seen Dragon WiFi use Starlink before too.
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Huw Morgan, Head of Integrated Transport and Bus Network Development, said:
“It’s been great to see the positive impact that the new technology has had on the customer experience. It’s vital that we can provide clear updates on bus locations, especially in more rural areas like Machynlleth, where fflecsi is a lifeline for many.”
Naomi Colling, Senior Planning and Development Manager for fflecsi, said:
“This trial is a direct response to customer feedback about poor cellular coverage in rural areas.
We’re committed to delivering a reliable service that truly meets their needs, and we’ll be constantly reviewing feedback throughout the trial to ensure we do just that.”
The trial is currently expected to run until March 2026. A new trial is also set to begin in Conwy with OneWeb technology to see if it can have a similarly positive impact for fflecsi users. But assuming all goes well then it seems likely that these services may end up being given an official launch in the future.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should!
Sums up everything the govt touches
Here in the Rhondda Stagecoach used to have WiFi on the buses till a dirty old man followed behind the buses with his laptop on the passenger seat of his car downloading porn using the service! That was 4G, so mathematically another dirty old man would be able to download faster on this service and get out the way before he’s spotted… Genius!
Thankfully 4G is getting better around these parts and cheaper, so do we really need this? Hackers will latch on, spoof it and scammers will start calling users after they disconnect…. I don’t use public WiFi at the best of times without a VPN of some sort!
Anyway they must have money left over to burn, satellite broadband isn’t cheap….
Did you not read? it says “direct response to customer feedback about poor cellular coverage” I think its highly innovative that they are using satellite as infill for where there are gaps, which there in urban areas too. As for the WiFi comment, they would probably be caught on the buses cctv – number plate, driver pic, and a treasure trove of other information.
seems like it be good they should also use it for trains too