Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus transportation in the United States, has 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.

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, 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.