A pair of New Year's gifts to straphangers: not only did the Second Avenue Subway open to the public Sunday, you can now get WiFi in every underground station in the city. NY1's Gene Apodaca has the story.
After years of waiting for the Wi-Fi train to pull into the station, straphangers across the city are finally getting their wish.
"I think it's very useful, because I'm really, really bad with directions, so for me to be able to use Google Maps is really useful," one straphanger said.
In early-December, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said the agency would meet its goal of bringing Wi-Fi to all 279 underground subway stations by the end of 2016.
That would include stops like Borough Hall in Brooklyn, which was one of the last stations to be equipped with wireless service.
"I think that's great because people use their phone a lot and sometimes you need to look up information online," another subway rider said. "If there's no reception in a subway station, it's kind of not very convenient."
"It's another option, yeah, it's kind of cool," one man said. "I actually didn't know we were going to have Wi-Fi underground, so it's kind of cool."
Riders can connect to the "TransitWirelessWiFi" option on their smartphone or tablet. Just remember to open your browser if doesn't do it automatically. You have to agree to the terms and then connect.
The service will be convenient for many, but David Billotti says it won't change his life.
"I think it's going to be noisier on the subway, a lot more talking. But I take such short commutes — 20, 30 minutes — that I can be without the internet for 20, 30 minutes," Billotti said. "So it will be a nice convenience, but it's not a necessity."
In fact, some commuters are waiting for the day when Wi-Fi will be available in the subway cars themselves, avoiding the blackout spots between stations. That train, however, has yet to embark.
And free Wi-Fi is just the beginning; the MTA is promising that all stations will have cell phone service at some point early this year.