For many singles, the daily commute is the perfect opportunity to get online and browse dating apps.
But if you’re traveling with Northern, we’ve got some bad news for you.
The railway company’s on-board Wi-Fi now blocks access to all dating apps and websites.
According to Northern, the ban was prompted by concerns that children would be exposed to inappropriate content on trains.
‘While some dating sites – and users – will operate with appropriate levels of self-moderation, not all sites will. It is important that content that is not suitable for everyone, and particularly children, is not viewed on our trains,’ said Matt Rice, Northern’s chief operating officer.
For many singles, the daily commute is the perfect opportunity to get online and browse your dating apps. But if you’re travelling with Northern, there’s bad news for you (stock image)
Northern is one of the largest train operators in the UK, after FirstGroup plc, which operates Great Western Railway.
The company operates around 2,500 local and regional services each day to over 500 stations in the North of England.
In total, 100 million passenger journeys take place on the network each year.
The railway company offers these customers free on-board Wi-Fi, according to the ‘Friendly WiFi’ program – the government-initiated secure certification standard for public Wi-Fi.
This means that several categories of content are blocked, including video streaming, gambling, alcohol, adult content, pornography and nudity.
The railway company has announced that the Wi-Fi on board will now block access to all dating apps and websites
The news has not been received positively on social media, with many users claiming that Northern’s Wi-Fi doesn’t even work in the first place
“That is the best sales technique I have ever seen! Our wifi is down but to put it positively, we designed it this way to keep you all safe!” one user tweeted
‘The WIFI services on the train don’t always work well!’ one user noted
Now Northern has also added dating apps and websites to this list.
“We welcome millions of people on board our trains every year,” Mr Rice explained.
‘Access to safe and reliable internet is an essential part of our customers’ expectations.’
The news was not well received on social media, with many users claiming that Northern’s WiFi does not work at all.
In a response to Northern’s post about the change on X (formerly Twitter), one user wrote, “It would help if it actually worked.”
Another added: ‘That is the best sales pitch I’ve ever seen! Our wifi is down but to put it positively, we designed it this way to keep you all safe!’
‘You’d ruin it on the student!’
And someone joked, “Your wifi won’t even load a Google page, let alone anything else!!”
Mr Rice added: ‘Regardless of the dating app embargo, we wish our single customers every success in their search for their perfect partner.’