When it comes to Winnipeg Transit, Billy Jo Shingoose is more than just a regular! She spends a good part of her day riding the bus! “I spend an hour and 15 minutes there, and hour and 15 back." said Shingoose. "And then when I go to visit my mom."

To pass the time she uses her phone. Soon she may not need to dip into her data plan to surf the net while onboard. The City of Winnipeg is considering a pilot project that would bring free Wi-Fi to 12 city buses.

"We need to continue to look for the use of innovation so we can have better value for money," said Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman. "And we can ensure that the rider experience is as good as we can make it."

The pilot would cost $300,000 dollars, and would come from the city's innovation capital fund. Bowman said in addition to an improved rider experience, there could be other benefits too, including improvements to the Peggo card system. At the moment, the payment system can't connect to Winnipeg Transit while En-route.

"When its back in the station, it uploads at that point," said Bowman. "So if it could be used to have greater real time updating? That's something I hope can be looked at."

But if the goal is to improve the overall transit experience, the Winnipeg Transit Riders Association says there are better ways to do it.

"If you were to ask me, a transit rider, where I would rather see the money go.... towards Wi-Fi or keeping the fares down," mused Harry Wolbert. "I'd rather see the fares (go down) you know!"

The city report says the Wi-Fi equipped buses shouldn't be offered on any specific route at any specific time. Instead it calls for the service to be provided on a variety of routes at different times of the day. That will allow the city to figure out usage patterns. But the buses that have Wi-Fi will be clearly marked.