If you’re considering renting a coach or charter bus, you probably have some questions. One of the most common ones is, “Do charter buses have WiFi?”
If that’s the case, you’re probably also wondering about USB ports and outlets.
In our ever-connected society, these are important questions to answer before locking in. Rest assured, you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s everything you need to know about the equipment on our charter buses.
Do Charter Buses Have WiFi?
The short answer to this question is yes. A vast majority of coach and charter buses are WiFi-capable, including many of our options.
But Wi-Fi comes at a cost.
If you want to enable Wi-Fi on your coach bus rental, you’ll need to pay an extra fee. This will be determined during booking when you request a free quote. It’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with charter bus pricing to avoid any surprises.
Buses in our fleet that offer optional Wi-Fi include:
- Mercedes Sprinter
- 28 Passenger Mini-Bus
- 49 Passenger Bus
- 56 Passenger Bus
- 57 Passenger Supercoach
Some people believe the Wi-Fi on buses is weaker than usual, but that’s not the case. Each bus has its own Wi-Fi router, no different than the one you might have in your home. The Wi-Fi should be just as capable as the connection in your home.
The only major difference is the number of people using the Wi-Fi. If everyone on the bus is using it at once, it’s going to use up more bandwidth. This, of course, means slower load times.
But bus Wi-Fi is an invaluable tool, especially for work outings. It allows you to get work done on the go without using up your mobile data or Wi-Fi hotspot. The upsides always outweigh the downsides, and stories of constantly slow connections are simply false most of the time.
Bus Wi-Fi allows you to stay entertained on the slower parts of a bus trip, too. Watch Netflix, play online games, and listen to Spotify without using a single KB of data.
Modernizing Bus Rides
Buses have come a long way in the past decade or so.
It used to be that there were no outlets, USB ports, or any real amenities on buses both public and private. Now, these things are not only desired, but expected by the majority of bus riders.
A 2013 survey from Single Point makes this abundantly clear.
The survey shows that 45.7% of bus riders considered Wi-Fi an important factor in their travel plans. A larger 52.1% of riders planned on using their phones’ Wi-Fiwhile en route, and 48.5% planned to do some web browsing. And this was at a time when only 1.4% of buses included Wi-Fi!
The survey may be over five years old but still proves an interesting point: People want Wi-Fi on their buses.
They want to use their travel time to stay up-to-date, catch up on work, or just keep themselves entertained. It wouldn’t be surprising if this survey was done again in the future and showed even larger numbers.
Do Charter Buses Have USB Ports?
Our buses also include USB ports for charging your phone or tablet more directly.
Each seat has two USB ports installed into the wall beside them. That means all you need is your charging cord. No need to haul around your charging brick or a battery bank.
On our charter buses, you and your seatmate can both charge your USB devices in peace. Each passenger has their own USB outlet, meaning no disputes over who gets to charge what. If you’re sitting solo, you could charge up to two USB devices at once!
The USB ports and outlets come in a 110V, as opposed to the average 220V you might get at home. This means a slower charge, but an equally efficient charge. You’ve got nothing but time on a bus ride, so you shouldn’t notice a big difference.
You also shouldn’t worry about battery damage. Some people believe charging a battery at a lower wattage than recommended is harmful to the battery. This is a myth, however.
While some charging bricks have voltage limits, phones do not. That means it’s safe to plug directly into the USB port given.
When it comes to the latest smartphones, you can charge your device in any outlet between 110v and 240v. This includes iPhones, Google Pixel devices, and Samsung Galaxy phones. Voltage limits are really a thing of the past, and you shouldn’t be too concerned about them.
You can charge any number of devices with a simple USB port, including:
- Tablets (iPad, Galaxy Tablet, etc.)
- Laptop Computers
- E-readers (Kobo, Kindle, etc.)
- Phone (iPhone, Pixel, Galaxy, Razr, etc.)
- Gaming Consoles (Nintendo Switch, 3DS, PSP, etc.)
- Vaporizer/e-cigarette (Juul, etc.)
- Cameras
- Battery Banks
As long as it can be charged via USB, we’ve got you covered.
Do Charter Buses Have Outlets?
Yes, all our charter buses—and most charter buses in general—come equipped with outlets.
Outlets have become a staple of public and private transportation in the last decade. More and more city bus companies are installing outlets into their buses. Lately, Toronto, Canada has made the move to include USBs, Wi-Fi, and outlets in their GO buses.
Each of the seats in our charter buses includes two easily accessible outlets. You can use this to charge your phone, laptop, and anything else you might bring with you. It’s a real relief knowing you don’t have to worry about your devices dying while on that long bus ride.
There’s no need to fight about who gets to charge what, either. With four ports total (two USB, two electrical outlets) that means each passenger can charge multiple devices at once. You and your seatmate can charge your phone and laptop at once in peace.
As with USB ports, the outlets run at a somewhat lower 110 volts. Again, you have nothing to worry about. You’ll be looking at a bit of a longer charge time, but you won’t be damaging your battery at all.
Is It Safe to Use Bus Wi-Fi?
Some people are wary of using public Wi-Fi, including Wi-Fi on buses.
Although charter and coach buses aren’t technically “public,” the Wi-Fi is still seen as less secure than a home connection. People think of it as using Wi-Fi in a coffee shop or a public library.
Any Wi-Fi connection that hosts a lot of people will always prove riskier than single-user Wi-Fi. Sharing a connection with others opens you up to potential security threats. You never know when there’s a hacker in your midst.
When riding on our charter buses, you shouldn’t worry too much about this. Ideally, you’ll be traveling with people you know and trust. A co-worker or friend most likely won’t risk breaching your privacy and risking their job or relationship.
If that doesn’t put your mind at ease, though, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN allows you to connect to Wi-Fi securely and discreetly. It disguises your IP address, making it seem like you’re browsing the web from a whole other country if you want. This will help stave off a lot of security threats, effectively making you anonymous on the web.
Most VPNs offer free trials if you don’t want to make a full purchase just for one bus ride. You can get them on your phone, your computer, and your tablet. If you’re the kind of person who’s worried about their privacy, a VPN is a real must.
Is It Safe to Use Bus Outlets?
Much like Wi-Fi, some people are wary about unfamiliar outlets, too. The reason might not be as obvious, but it is worth talking about.
People who are cautious with public outlets are probably worried about “juice jacking.” Juice jacking happens when you plug your device into a “hacked” USB port. This gives the hacker access to the files on your phone, allows them to record your screen, and more.
Juice jacking can happen through outlets and USB ports.
It’s important to be cautious when plugging your phone into public outlets. However, the outlets on our buses are not public. When you rent a charter bus from us, you can rest assured knowing that our outlets are 100% safe to use.
The chances of our outlets being compromised is extremely low. Our buses are made for party transport, work event travel, and a variety of tours. The guests are usually being kept track of, and a compromised outlet would be easy to track back.
Outlets on public transport are more suspect as you never know who is getting on and off the bus. There is less supervision and no log tracking who is on the bus. This gives hackers a better opportunity to hack into the available ports.
Your data is much safer on one of our charter buses than it is on a public bus.
Is Bus Wi-Fi Reliable?
You’ve probably heard a lot of complaints about public bus Wi-Fi. However, these complaints include a lot of over-exaggerations and company-specific issues. You won’t experience these issues on a good coach bus.
A recent survey that included thousands of bus riders showed that 23% of bus riders thought the provided Wi-Fi was at least average. 16% of these riders said the Wi-Fi was ‘good’ (a step above average), and 7% said it was ‘very good.’ Only 19% claimed bus Wi-Fi was ‘very bad.’
Overall, 55% of bus riders had their Wi-Fi expectations met. Those are pretty good numbers, and they’ll only get better as technology does!
The same people were asked if they thought train Wi-Fi was better than bus Wi-Fi. The results gave the edge to buses! Only 11% of train riders claimed to have good Wi-Fi, with a whole 41% of riders saying there was no Wi-Fi provided at all.
The survey was mostly geared towards public buses, which provide worse Wi-Fi services than private coach buses. You pay for what you get, so you can always expect your Wi-Fi to be a step better on a coach bus. These buses are frequently used for working trips, so good Wi-Fi is a higher priority than usual.
The survey went a step further and asked participants if the outlets on their buses worked. 74% reported working outlets, and only 26% said their outlets didn’t work. If you’re worried about your outlet not working, let those numbers put you at ease.
What Other Amenities Do Coach Buses Provide?
Coach buses offer a lot of other great amenities beyond just Wi-Fi and outlets.
The 57 Passenger Supercoach offers some of the greatest features ever seen in a coach bus. It’s got ample space for all your luggage, and table trays with built-in cupholders for all your work and leisure needs. The greatest part, though, might be the reclining leather seats.
Never before has a bus had such comfortable seats. Combine this with the USB ports and outlets and you’ll feel like you’re still in your living room. Does it really get any better than that?
The Supercoach is also one of the safest coach buses out there. Each seat has its own over the shoulder seatbelt to ensure your safety every mile of the way.
The Supercoach has built-in TVs, and lets you play your own music through the sound system. Jam out in style with your own tunes and experience one of the most enjoyable bus rides of your life.
Every Rider Deserves Wi-Fi
If you’ve ever wondered, “Do charter buses have Wi-Fi?” hopefully you’ve found some answers here.
Wi-Fi, as well as USB and electrical outlets, are now commonplace in buses both public and private. In 2020, there’s no real reason to rent a bus without these options available for your passengers.
If the bus company you’re looking into doesn’t offer Wi-Fi and ports, you should look somewhere else. You and your passengers deserve the best.
If you’re looking for a comfortable, fully-equipped coach or charter bus, see what we can do for you. Contact us with any comments or questions. We’d be happy to help.