The new New York subway will have WiFi, digital screens and USB ports

Charging our smartphone or surfing the web for free on the subway is now a reality. At least for New Yorkers, who will soon be able to travel in much more technological cars.

Visiting New York for the first time is an unforgettable experience. New Yorkers are unique in the world: they are polite, they don’t usually look you in the eye and they never talk to strangers. If you don’t want to go bankrupt in taxis to take a tour of Manhattan, Wall Street or visit the popular Statue of Liberty, you have to get around in subway. If you are not attentive, you will never reach the right destination, since it is one of the largest in the world.

As we said, it is one of the oldest infrastructures on the planet. Not getting lost in one of its 469 active stations is a miracle. However, the cars are outdated, an adjective that does not correspond to a city that claims to be the epicenter of technological innovation.

An ambitious reform

Well then, Governor of the State of New York, Andrew Cuomohas announced a new metro modernization plan of the city: 27 million dollars in five years to add 1021 new trains and technological screens with mobile connections that will inform the route in real time.

You leave home, take the subway, look at your mobile and… ouch, there’s no battery left! Raise your hand who hasn’t dreamed of having a plug in the meter itself. Future American travelers are in luck, since they will be able to surf the net with their smartphones, tablets and computers, and they will even be able to charge their devices thanks to the implementation of Wi Fi connection and USB ports in cars and stations.

New generational challenges

Mobility is changing. Public bikes, shared cars and cheap transport services offered by new applications have become serious competitors for public transport. Many young people, driven by public transport price increases, decide to hire cheaper transport services. And it is that, BlaBlaCar, Uber and MyTaxi have already become popular in many parts of the world.

The announcement of the modernization plan for the New York subway is not the result of a coincidence, since it occurs just after the drop in the price of the routes of Uber. The app offered two weeks of UberPool for $47. This subscription allowed the user to always follow the same route, sharing the trip and lowering costs. In other words, users could get to and from work every day for as little as $2.45 each way. Who could resist?

Connectivity 24 hours a day

Modernizing public transport is essential to attract the most demanding users. Passengers want devices that work 24 hours a day. Thus, to increase the demand for public transport, passengers on the Madrid EMT buses can now benefit from a free Wi Fi connection and it seems that New Yorkers will be next.

At the moment, it is only a good initiative that could come to nothing. The technological war has only just begun and everyone has their weapons. Hi Tech, obviously.