Transit users in the Moncton area won’t be able to stream videos on their mobile devices while riding the bus for much longer.

With ridership up almost 3 per cent since last January, the onboard Wi-Fi system has been upgraded three times in the last year to accommodate more phones and tablets.

But Codiac Transpo says it’s still not enough and blocking access to certain sites is necessary in order to prevent its Internet service from being overwhelmed.

“If I’m using Facebook or anything, like Messenger, it’s very, very choppy,” says transit user Anita LeBlanc. “It doesn’t work like it should most times.”

City buses have been equipped with Wi-Fi for seven years, but senior transit planner Marie-Claire Pearce says complaints recently started coming in about the service being inadequate.

She says when they looked into it, they determined a lot of their customers were streaming movies and videos while onboard.

“We’re seeing a lot of Netflix usage, Google Videos, probably on YouTube,” says Pearce.

Tracking devices were installed on some buses to monitor what people are watching, with Google Video leading the way at 23 per cent.

The base cost for Wi-Fi is about $3,000, but when you factor in the additional cost of streaming movies and video, Pearce says the Internet bill triples.

“We want our customers to have access to Wi-Fi, but in order for us to do that efficiently, we need to control it,” she says.

Three buses have been outfitted with the ability to block video-streaming websites and the city has received feedback that the available Wi-Fi in the downtown core is also insufficient.

A survey has been distributed, asking users to share information about how they use free public service.

“We do want to make downtown an attractive place for investment and for business to locate as well as for residents to come live downtown, if they so choose,” says city spokesperson Richard Dunn.

And if they do, they can expect a disruption in their Internet service on the bus. Pearce says video streaming will be disabled on all buses by March.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis