By Wailin Wong | The availability of technology such as WiFi is boosting the growth of
low-cost bus services between regional cities, according to a new study
by DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.

“Over the past three years…bus companies — particularly ‘curbside’
operators that do not operate from conventional bus stations and
typically sell tickets only over the Internet — have pushed themselves
to the forefront of the wireless Internet movement,” researchers said in
the study.

Prominent examples of these curbside bus companies are Boltbus, a joint venture of Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines that runs on the East Coast, and Megabus, which runs in the northeast and Midwest. Both of these companies offer WiFi, and Internet access has become so common on these buses that “passengers felt slighted when it was not available,” the study said. These bus passengers tend to be younger and often use their smartphones to display their ticket receipts in lieu of paper tickets.

One of the researchers’ primary findings was that on weekends and weekdays after 7 p.m., nearly 40 percent of curbside bus passengers are using portable electronic devices such as laptops, mobile phones, portable DVD players and iPods. This rate of usage was higher than other modes of transportation, such as Amtrak, airlines and Greyhound buses.

The Chaddick Institute also noted that travel on curbside buses grew 5.1 percent in 2009, its third straight year of expansion, while travel on commercial airlines and Amtrak fell on the year.