Greyhound Launches "BLUE™," An Exclusive Wi-Fi Enabled Onboard Entertainment System

DALLAS, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus transportation, today announced the launch of BLUE™, its onboard entertainment system, developed in cooperation with Lufthansa Systems. BLUE, which stands for Bus Line Universal Entertainment, enables passengers to watch movies, listen to music, surf the Web and play games from the comfort of their seats using their own personal Wi-Fi enabled device. BLUE is based on the Lufthansa Systems innovative Velimo platform. Lufthansa Systems is the first in the market to deliver a turnkey video solution over Wi-Fi on a bus with secure digital rights management encryption and a compliant content supply chain, both approved by the Hollywood Studios.

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BLUE is now available on the company's premium Greyhound Express® service between Dallas and Houston, as part of an exclusive six-month pilot program, with broader roll-out planned for later this year. It will also test BLUE on buses operated by its sister company, BoltBus, in the Pacific Northwest during this same period. Greyhound is the first and only intercity bus carrier to offer a personalized onboard entertainment experience provided by Lufthansa Systems. When developing the solution both companies benefited from the leading edge technology from Lufthansa Systems and from the extensive experience of the German IT specialist in providing  trend setting infotainment solutions for mobile platforms like aircraft and cruise ships.

"As a transportation leader, we constantly provide ways to offer a more fun, comfortable ride and introduce customers to a wholly new travel experience," said Dave Leach, president and CEO, Greyhound.  "With BLUE, we are adding an exclusive, top-of-the-line onboard entertainment system at the touch of our customers' fingertips, further complementing our current family of premium amenities such as free Wi-Fi, power outlets, extra legroom and leather seats."

Once onboard, customers can enjoy BLUE via their Wi-Fi enabled personal devices including laptops, tablets or smartphones, with access to more than 25 movies, 15 hours of television shows, 100 music albums and five games.  Customers can also surf the Web, read digital news publications, check their trip maps and review destination guides.

"Greyhound will be a global first BYOD experience in the bus industry and we are proud to make that happen. This new entertainment solution again shows the mobility and agility of our technology," said Bernd Appel, SVP Industry Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. "We are proud that it helps Greyhound to provide its passengers with a truly unique travel experience, which will further strengthen its position as a leader in this field of transportation."

Greyhound has been moving quickly to introduce a number of advancements to improve the travel experience. The company recently installed self-service ticketing kiosks at more than 20 major terminals, allowing customers to purchase a ticket using cash or credit card, weigh their bag and receive a destination bag tag all in one transaction. Greyhound also expanded its wireless network to include nearly 95 Wi-Fi enabled terminals, introduced its book on-line/pay with cash feature on Greyhound.com, and launched The Hound, Greyhound's official blog featuring the company's latest news, travel deals, and regularly featured destinations and attractions.

"We're not just providing customers with a trip from Point A to Point B," added Leach. "By enhancing their experience from the moment they buy their ticket to the time they step off one of our modern buses, we are ensuring our customers choose Greyhound time and again when it comes to travel."

About Greyhound
Greyhound is the largest North American provider of intercity bus transportation, serving more than 3,800 destinations across the continent. The company also provides Greyhound Package Express (GPX) and charter services. For fare and schedule information and to buy tickets call 1-800-231-2222 or visit the website at www.greyhound.com.  For the latest news and travel deals, follow GreyhoundBus on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GreyhoundBus, Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GreyhoundBus, or follow our new blog, The Hound, at http://www.bloggreyhound.com.            

About Lufthansa Systems
Lufthansa Systems provides consulting and IT services for selected industries and has a leading position in the global aviation industry. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group offers its customers the entire range of IT-services, including consulting, development and implementation of industry solutions as well as operations. With its head office in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt, the company operates a global data center network. Lufthansa Systems has offices in Germany and 16 other countries and employs about 2,800 people. In business year 2012, Lufthansa Systems recorded revenues of EUR 609 million. For more details, see www.LHsystems.com.

SOURCE Greyhound