From MassTransitMag.com:
ILLINOIS – Travelers who want to spend their trips surfing the Internet may choose to hop on the bus, rather than the plane, according to a new study.
A study by DePaul University's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development found that travelers on intercity buses, particularly "curbside" services like Megabus or BoltBus, are heavy users of portable technology, more than twice what is seen on commercial flights.
Amtrak passengers also like using technology during their trips, particularly laptop computers and BlackBerries.
The desire to use portable technology may be encouraging people who might otherwise fly or drive to take a second look at bus and train travel, according to Joe Schwieterman, director of the institute and one of the searchers. Intercity bus service use expanded 5.1 percent in 2009 from 2008, a rate of growth higher than all the other major modes of transportation for the third straight year. Use of commercial airlines sank 6.8 percent in the same period.
"The prevalence of portable electronics is changing the dynamics of how we make travel choices," said Joe Schwieterman, director of the Institute and one of the researchers. "For many passengers, the ability to freely use portable technology on a bus or train more than compensates for the longer travel times."
Chaddick researchers rode buses, trains and planes in 14 states, including Illinois, to observe the prevalence of technology use. At any given point in the trip, nearly 40 percent of passengers on new Wi-Fi-equipped buses are using some form of portable technology, according to the study.