When I was a boy, walking uphill without shoes in the snow to school both ways, the people who used their laptops on Metro buses had to hope to pick up a WiFi connection on the fly. At various points and stops along a long bus ride, they’d keep their eyes open for warchalked buildings and scurry to check for open networks while others boarded the bus. Like the dinosaur, those days may soon be a relic of history. Today Metro is introducing WiFi service on selected routes:

for the afternoon commute, Metro Transit kicks off a five-month pilot project to put WiFi service on two bus routes, so passengers can surf the Internet while stuck in traffic. The service will be available on route 48, which goes from Ballard to Greenwood to the University District and Capitol Hill and ends in Rainier Beach; and route 197, which goes from the University District to Federal Way. In all, 29 buses will be wired.[seattletimes]

Wireless users will also find service on selected Community Transit buses in Snohomish County, the Sound Transit route #545, and on the Washington State Ferries. For now, all are in the pilot testing phases; so pack up your laptop and try it out. Just don’t translate your habit of leaving behind used periodicals to your computer.