Unless they have an unlimited data plan, motorists can quickly drain their cellphone’s data while on the road. Drivers in British Columbia will get some relief. The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation has recently announced plans to offer free Wi-Fi at rest areas.
Currently, the rest area at Britton Creek off of the Coquihalla Highway offers the free Wi-Fi service. The Glacier View rest area on Highway 16 north of Smithers also has recently launched free Wi-Fi.
Through the partnership of Canadian telecommunications company Telus and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the following locations will feature free Wi-Fi by the end of the year:
• Britton Creek, Highway 5 – 42 miles south of Merritt
• Glacier View, Highway 16 – 4 miles north of Smithers
• Taylor River, Highway 4 – 23 miles west of Port Alberni
• Galena Bay, Highway 23 – 30 miles north of Nakusp
• Mount Terry Fox, Highway 16 – 4 miles east of Tete Jaune
• Loon Lake, Highway 97C – 25 miles east of Merritt
More locations will add free, public Wi-Fi service in the coming years. Motorists can identify which rest areas offer the service with a Wi-Fi graphic on rest area signs.
A Ministry of Transportation news release that free Wi-Fi “benefits the commercial trucking sector, allowing commercial operators to rest, access washroom facilities and stay connected.”
Commercial vehicle inspection stations throughout the province also offer free Wi-Fi.
