The development of the iPlus network provides an excellent way for both the county council and borough council to make our services and information more accessible to people in Rugby.
Councillor Alan Farnell
Touch screen interactive technology has come to the streets of Rugby!
The town is the first in Warwickshire to benefit from a network of new iPlus Points, interactive kiosks that provide residents and visitors with free access to information and services.
The iPlus Points will be officially launched on Friday 4th May at the Rugby Art Gallery, Museum and Library complex, one of the kiosk locations. The rest of the network is located in North Street, Market Place, and a further kiosk is planned for the Ken Marriott Leisure Centre.
The project is part of ‘Warwickshire Direct – Rugby’, a partnership between Warwickshire County Council and Rugby Borough Council, in conjunction with Cityspace, a UK-based leading provider of urban digital networks.
The iPlus Points provide ‘on the street’ access to a raft of valuable information and services, including job search and both online and voice contact with the councils; a customer contact button enables a ‘free phone call’ to the council using the Internet.
Other useful services are free emails, including video emails and electronic postcards featuring pictures of Rugby and the surrounding areas and maps with a print out facility.
Local news and BBC News, sport, weather and travel are also available on the kiosks completely free of charge. Travel planning, tourism information and events are being considered for phase two later in the year.
The kiosks have been located in public places so people can access them easily, with those located outside giving access 24 hours a day. Broadband technology makes them fast and easy to use and the information is completely free to access.
Further, wireless broadband antennae located on the outdoor terminals provide free internet access for wirelessly enabled devices within 300 metres of the kiosks.
Councillor Alan Farnell, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: "The development of the iPlus network provides an excellent way for both the county council and borough council to make our services and information more accessible to people in Rugby.
“Rugby town centre is a vibrant, bustling hub for residents, workers and visitors, and we anticipate that they will find having free, helpful information available to them on the street and in other public places to be of value.”
Simon Warren, Chief Executive of Rugby Borough Council, said: “Rugby Borough Council is committed to achieving a customer focused organisation. As part of that focus we want citizens to be able to access accurate, up-to-date information from a variety of channels and media.
“We welcomed and were pleased to join this County initiative which will make available a modern, attractive and convenient way for citizens to access not only Council but also wide range of useful information from many sources.”
Jim Graham, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council, said: “One of our priorities is to raise standards of customer service and access and this initiative is just one of example of how we are aiming to do this by working in partnership with others.
“Kiosks are socially inclusive. Not everyone has a computer, but these kiosks enable anyone to find information about council services and much more.”
Tim Halford, business development manager, Cityspace, said: “It’s been a real pleasure working with the team at Warwickshire County Council on this project.
"The ‘Warwickshire Direct – Rugby’ initiative demonstrates how progressive both councils are in adopting new technologies to better service their citizens and Cityspace is delighted to be a partner in delivering on these critical objectives.”