This article was written for our sponsor, City Of Wilson

In 2005, visionary leaders in Wilson decided to build their own citywide Wi-Fi system, and so became pioneers on the Wi-Fi frontier.

For Rodger Lentz, Wilson Assistant City Manager, dependable Wi-Fi equals unmatched opportunity including:

• Work and education for residents

• Efficient business operations

• Economic development for the community

• Improved communication and entertainment

"It’s that important of a piece of infrastructure that if the private market wasn’t going to provide it here, then we had to, if we were going to be a growing community," Lentz said.

Wilson leaders also view access to Wi-Fi as "digital equity" — the right of every person to have access to opportunity.

"This was treated like a water line. Everybody needs to have water. Everybody needs to have fiber," said Lentz. "Every address, regardless of income, fiber optic goes by their property."

Today, people in Wilson’s public spaces, including the sidewalks downtown, can access free Wi-Fi powered by Greenlight. Ensuring that no resident is left out, Wilson provides a basic internet service for as little as $10 a month.

Then, in 2020, Wilson leaders took another bold step by ending the city’s fixed-route bus system, using that money to help fund an on-demand, micro-transit program, called RIDE, with the transit service Via.

Think Uber with ride-sharing.

Like Greenlight Wi-Fi, RIDE offers a critical service, particularly for low-income residents. Customers order rides using the Via App for $2.50 per ride, adding $1.00 for each additional rider.

Rider surveys report that users are generally very happy with both services. Yet long-term sustainability can be challenging, even with federal grant support. Systems must run efficiently to be self-sustaining and meet customer needs.

Enter Dr. Lei Zhu, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UNC Charlotte. An expert in transportation systems, Dr. Zhu is analyzing up to one month of the city’s Greenlight Wi-Fi data to learn where and when riders access the Wi-Fi system to order a car, as well as wait and travel times to and from destinations. That information will enable his team to recommend improvements in both Greenlight and RIDE.

"For example, one hotspot from the Wi-Fi may not necessarily be the hotspot for the micro-transit," Zhu said. "And a hotspot for micro-transit, a pickup, or travel location, may not have a signal of Wi-Fi at all."

Improvements could include more advertising and perhaps incentivizing RIDE use in areas where the potential for ridership is high and Wi-Fi strong. Where RIDE requests are strong but Wi-Fi less robust, investment could boost free Wi-Fi access. If significant ridership occurs between two points, like WalMart and downtown Wilson, for example, bus service could be restarted on that route.

Current RIDE wait times can be 30 minutes or more for a car, and service hours are limited. To reduce wait times, data may suggest expanding hours, changing dispatch methods, hiring more drivers, or adding to the 20 cars in the fleet.

Dr. Zhu’s study will also identify ways to evaluate the success of any system improvements the city makes.

"My job is to provide a transportation simulation to help to evaluate those micro-transit solutions, to provide their post-evaluation and performance assessment," Dr. Zhu said.

Dr. Zhu expects to apply tools like machine learning, AI technology, and simulations to explore the data and refine the team’s recommendations. Funded by the Integrated Mobility Division (IMD) at the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Dr. Zhu’s "live lab" study runs from September 2023 through February 2025.

Importantly, data privacy is protected in the study.

"We’re only working on the aggregated level data, but do not do individual tracking," Dr. Zhu said.

As support for Dr. Zhu’s research shows, city leaders continue to look for ways to "future-proof" Wilson to attract and retain jobs and people.

"Whether that’s Greenlight, whether that’s a transportation system that gets people around, we often talk about quality of life," Lentz said, "Which is why we are investing in downtown and trying to make it a real center of a vibrant community."


This article was written for our sponsor, City Of Wilson