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Plan Would Equip 5 C.R. Buses with Internet Access

Mobile broadband unit creates rolling offices, by Dick Hogan The Gazette. Reprinted with permission © 2005 The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

CEDAR RAPIDS — Soon you may be on a live security camera, be entertained by a television and get some work done on your laptop — all while riding the bus. If approved today by the City Council, five Cedar Rapids buses on a single route will be equipped with cameras, televisions and high speed Internet access for people with laptops who want to work or surf the net. All you would need is your cell phone for an office on wheels.

It’s a first-in-the-nation experiment in transit mobile broadband communications with the Trapeze Group in Cedar Rapids. If it works, the technology could go national or worldwide, perhaps creating more local jobs at Trapeze, said the company’s Greg Tomsic and Bill Hoekstra, city transit director.

It costs $125,000 to equip five buses. Hoekstra said Trapeze will discount $55,000, with federal grants paying $46,000. Hoekstra said the cost to his department will be about $24,000.

‘‘We’re helping to build this technology and we think Trapeze can market it to the rest of the world,’’ Hoekstra said.

It may take six months to choose a route, install equipment and get it running, Hoekstra said.

City buses already have cameras but those record what goes on for later review. The old cameras will remain, but the new cameras would provide real-time monitoring of buses, contributing to security, Hoekstra said.

The system’s longest bus ride is about 45 minutes, Hoekstra said.

The television monitor, perhaps mounted behind the driver, would show news and entertainment and could produce advertising income, Hoekstra said.

‘‘I’m very excited about it. We would encourage people to look at other transportation modes’’ other than personal vehicles, Mayor Paul Pate said.

Safety Commissioner David Zahn expressed concerns about what could be accessed via the Internet. He was assured ‘‘objectionable’’ items could be blocked.

A transportation software company, Trapeze Software, based in Arizona, selected Cedar Rapids last May to locate its new corporate division, Trapeze Intelligent Transit Systems Inc., downtown at 210 Second St. SE, Suite 300.

Contact the writer: (319) 398-8255 or dick.hogan@gazettecommunications.com.