UPPER EAST SIDE — Free Wi-Fi and cellular service has been rolled out at 37 subway stations in The Bronx and Manhattan, according to officials.
Those who pass through 20 stations in The Bronx and 17 in Manhattan, including stops along Lexington Avenue at 51st, 59th and 86th streets, can now log onto the internet or make a call while underground, according to William Bayne, the CEO of the service provider Transit Wireless.
Users can click on the Transit Wireless Wi-Fi network to sign up for one hour of service. Service will be limited to stations and platforms and will cut out between them.
The new service is part of Transit Wireless's citywide project to bring connectivity to underground stations. So far, 146 stations out of the city's 279 have been connected.
Since the service was launched in 76 stations in Queens and in Midtown Manhattan in October 2014, people have used more than 284 terabytes of data and spent an average of 11 minutes per session on the network, according to Transit Wireless.
Roughly 70 million riders each month connect to the internet, Bayne added.
Sebastian Baquero, a 28-year-old manager of a rock climbing facility, said having the service will allow him to listen to podcasts and music on his ride to and from Queens every day.
"It's definitely welcome," he said. "I thought most Wi-Fi was put in stations in richer areas, so to hear it extends through the Bronx is nice."
Look below for a list of stations that are now offering Wi-Fi: