There’s an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story fit for the downtown 1 jaunt and a Jonathan Letham detective novel best suited for that F train to Queens.
To celebrate installing free Wi-Fi in its 175th subway station, the MTA on Sunday launched “Subway Reads.” Through a collaboration with Penguin Random House, the publishing company has offered a free collection of e-books—short stories and novel samples—that are organized by read time to allow for commuters to pick stories appropriate for the length of their commutes.
“Bringing Wi-Fi into underground stations helps riders stay connected throughout their commute, allowing them to check in with friends or family and access news or entertainment,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a statement. “We’ve made tremendous progress in modernizing the system and Subway Reads is a fun way to introduce riders to the new Wi-Fi experience.”
The promotion, similar to one launched on the London Underground last year, will run for the next eight weeks. The communications company Transit Wireless, which has a 27-year contract with the transit agency, is working to install Wi-Fi in all 278 underground subway stations by the end of 2016.
Commuters will be able to access 175 selected readings through Transit Wireless’ landing page on their smartphone or tablet’s web browser.
