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Planes, Trains and now Automobiles... all transportation where you'll be able to get free WiFi.

The last of this trio comes courtesy of Reading Transport which has announced plans to offer free wireless Internet access on its Thames Valley Park buses around the local area.

How does it work? Well, it contacted WiFi specialist Moovera which came up with the clever idea of hooking up individual buses to Vodafone's 3.6Mbps HSDPA network and passing the signal through a wireless router. The company says trials show the system is capable of tracking the movements of each bus and also provides it with the potential to hook up remote CCTV to enforce better safety (which is likely to be needed if everyone starts pulling out their latest mobile phones and laptops).

Interestingly, Reading Transport also says it hopes the move will have a positive environmental effect since free web access could be enough to tempt some commuters out of their cars - especially those travelling during rush hours.

Speaking on the announcement Jim Baker, Moovera's founder and big cheese, said "Commuter routes are ideal for in-vehicle Wi-Fi services, with an increasing number of hand-held devices such as mobile phones and PDAs having Wi-Fi built-in, accessing the Internet to check your email, surf the web or update your blog is now easier than ever before. With free Wi-Fi access on the bus, TVP passengers in Reading can now make the most of their journey time to and from the office - at no cost to them. This really does represent another step towards the future of public transportation."

I hate to say it, but I find myself agreeing with the plans for public transport. *shudder*

Interestingly, while initially only available around Reading, the roll out will expand nationwide should it prove popular (surely a forgone conclusion). So is public transport actually about to become an appealing proposition?! Excuse me, such filthy thoughts mean I have to go shower...

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