Buses need Wi-Fi because teenagers spend too much time on their smartphones every day.

In Spanish teacher Samuel Caraballo’s 4A study block, for instance, 80% of students use smartphones. In fact, according to NBC’s Today, teens spend nine hours a day on media consumption. With such high usage, data bills increase, leading to frustrated parents and users. If Wi-Fi became available on public school buses, large data bills are bound to decrease.

“It would save a lot of data usage for kids, and it would be faster,” said technology support technician Andres Garrido.

Cellular data can sometimes act slow, and teenagers have to wait while their smartphones load or buffer. I myself am very impatient, so when my cellular data behaves slowly, I tend to get annoyed. Installment of Wi-Fi on school buses could result in higher student productivity. Faster internet access helps students finish work loads more effectively. 

“They could use Google Classroom on the bus,” said Garrido.

Students are bombarded with homework, and with Google Classroom becoming more popular, Wi-Fi is a must. Teenagers will be able to check which assignments are due for their classes while they are riding the bus. This will allow students to get ahead on their assignments, as well as stay informed.

“They can have internet access for homework on the bus,” said sophomore Ryan Sherman.

Some students start homework on the bus ride home from school, but if students could knock out at least one homework assignment before they even get home, they stress less and feel more comfortable with work loads. Since most teachers post homework assignments online, then most students could start and or complete some assignments sooner. For me, that is one less homework assignment that I need to worry about.

“If you’re riding the bus to school or to get home, you might need to text your parents, and you might need to use Wi-Fi,” said sophomore Henry Graycochea.

Another important aspect of Wi-Fi on school buses involves communication with parents. Many times my parents have contacted me while I was riding the bus, and fortunately, because I have unlimited data, I can communicate with no issue. However, some students have limited cellular data, and Wi-Fi would ensure that they can send important text messages too.

A common concern about having Wi-Fi on buses is that it will cause too much disruption for the bus drivers. I disagree with this concern because the Wi-Fi will allow more students to use their phones for internet access. Because more students will use their phone, they will be too busy to distract bus drivers or cause other disruptions. 

“I would like it as long as we can still hear the radio,” said one bus driver, Ed Roelle.