MTA Launches ‘Subway Reads' to Tout Wi-Fi at Underground Stations

The MTA wants to help you find a summer read.

The transit authority and Penguin Random House on Sunday launched a website called Subway Reads, which allows straphangers to download and read book excerpts, novellas and short stories based on commute time.

The web-based program will only be in effect for eight weeks and is aimed at promoting Wi-Fi service in underground subway stations, according to The New York Times. Currently, 175 underground stations have wireless access.

Straphangers can select a story based on a 10-, 20- or 30-minute commute from the program's website from any Wi-Fi enabled device, then start reading on a web page. If a rider wants to read more, the site offers the option to buy one of the books from a number of online retailers.

The MTA reached out to Penguin because it had done a similar program in the London Underground to celebrate the publisher's 80th anniversary, according to the Times.

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