Free WiFi trials are being conducted on London buses, enabling passengers to get online while they are on the move.

Transport for London (TfL) has installed the technology on a route 12 bus running between Dulwich and Oxford Circus, and a route RV1 bus between Covent Garden and Tower Hill.

If successful, the technology will be introduced onto other vehicles, meaning passengers will be able to use social media, send emails or even do their online shopping as they travel.

The initiative forms part of TfL's Year of the Bus, in which a number of other innovations are being tested. One of these involves equipping vehicles with real-time information screens, which will provide passengers with details of their journey, such as the next stop and anticipated arrival time.

Simon Reed, head of TfL's Technical Services Group, said London's buses have always been at the forefront of innovation and the trials would help to establish whether the new technology "provides genuine benefits".