In a first for South Africa, 8ta has enabled free Wi-Fi in cabs with 150 currently operating in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The Nissan Lavina cabs are branded with 8ta’s current 60GB+60GB offer and indicate that they are Wi-Fi enabled.

To enable Wi-Fi use in the cabs 8ta has installed a router in each of the cabs; using 8ta’s network infrastructure to supply the actual Wi-Fi service in the vehicle. While in the cabs passengers will have full Internet connectivity, including web-browsing, e-mail and social network access.

The Wi-Fi in the cabs is compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled devices and regardless of whether passengers have smartphones, laptops or tablets they will now have the benefit of remaining connected with no additional cost.

Connecting to the Wi-Fi in the cab is a simple process, passengers need to check their device settings, ensure their Wi-Fi is enabled i.e. switched on and then select the “8ta Wi-Fi hotspot”.

Passengers have the support of 8ta’s call centre to assist them with any connection issues while traveling. The number to call for the 8ta call centre is 081 180 for non 8ta subscribers and 180 for 8ta subscribers.

Each cab does an average of between 15 and 20 trips per day with two unique users per trip, says Maharaj. This allows 8ta a unique opportunity to interact with users who may not necessarily be subscribers.