TFL approves London cab Wi-Fi symbol

Transport for London (TfL) has approved a universal Wi-Fi symbol for London’s black cabs just as a survey reveals three quarters of passengers are more likely to flag down a taxi if it offers free internet access.

The research, commissioned by Ubiquitous, also found that 86 per cent of Londoners expect to be fully contactable by family and friends across all channels when travelling in taxis and 84 per cent expect to be contactable by work across all channels.

Managing director at Ubiquitous, Andrew Barnett, said: “The introduction of the Wi-Fi signage ensures passengers know before hailing a cab that they will be able to quickly and easily access the web and, if they wish, opt-in to receive messages or offers from the brand that is sponsoring the exterior and interior of the taxi.

“With Wi-Fi now available on the Underground, this is another major step towards enabling busy people in London to stay connected right across the transport network.” In March, Ubiquitous launched CabConnect in partnership with Track4Services and opened up Wi-Fi sponsorship opportunities for brands. Microsoft was the first advertiser to get on board.

As well as access to free Wi-Fi, taxi passengers were given access to the Microsoft for Business mobile hub. According the latest study commissioned by Ubiquitous, 76 per cent of London taxi passengers would be more likely to look at a brand’s website if they’d provided them with free Wi-Fi while four out of five passengers (79 per cent) said they surfed the web when on the move in cabs.

News courtesy of Thedrum