Recognizing Pioneers in Transit
APPOINTED TO THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON OCTOBER 20, 1980, Armando “Rocky” Aranda Sr. distinguished himself as a pioneering leader and steadfast advocate for accessible public transportation. His eight years of service helped lay the foundation for VIA’s enduring commitment to equity, inclusion and mobility for all.
A Registered Professional Land Surveyor and accomplished Public Works Administrator, Aranda brought technical expertise and vision to VIA’s formative years. His influence can be seen in several cornerstone projects that shaped the agency’s future, including the acquisition and development of VIA’s main campus, the launch of the fi rst multimodal transfer station at Crossroads Park & Ride, the expansion of the downtown trolley fleet and the construction of the Robert Thompson Transit Station at the Alamodome. Each of these initiatives reflected his commitment to thoughtful planning, innovation and community impact, a legacy of which that continues to resonate throughout the region.
Aranda’s path to civic service was deeply personal. Having overcome childhood Polio, he expressed empathy for the challenges faced by others. His lived experience inspired a lifelong mission to break down barriers and expand access for people of all abilities. He championed programs such as VIAtrans paratransit service and reduced fares for seniors, students and individuals with disabilities — initiatives that remain at the heart of VIA’s mission to this day.
Aranda’s dedication to others extended well beyond his service to VIA Metropolitan Transit. He served as a professor, a Boy Scout leader, and a devoted community volunteer, guided always by his faith, humility and deep sense of duty. A proud and loving family man, he led by example, quietly demonstrating that service to others is the highest form of leadership.Through his vision, compassion, and unwavering commitment to accessibility, Armando “Rocky” Aranda Sr. helped shape VIA Metropolitan Transit during its early years into a trusted institution — one that continues to connect people, strengthen communities and expand opportunity people across the region.
A VISIONARY LEADER AND CHAMPION OF EQUITABLE MOBILITY, Jeffrey C. Arndt served as President/CEO of VIA Metropolitan Transit from 2013 until January 2025. Under his guidance, VIA entered a transformative era marked by innovation, growth, and a renewed commitment to community impact.
During Arndt’s tenure, VIA was a national leader in technology and service innovation. Between 2015 and 2025, VIA became the first major metropolitan transit authority to offer free high-speed Wi-Fi in all vehicles and facilities and first to implement a QR-code-assisted wayfinding tool, NaviLens, across the system. VIA also converted its entire fleet to renewable energy and earned the American Public Transportation Association’s National Innovation Award for a computer coding project. Arndt dedicated several major capital projects while at VIA, including the opening of Centro Plaza and Centro Chroma Tower, Brooks Transit Center, the VIAtrans Operations Center and the largest CNG fueling facility in North America at the time.
He led the development and successful passage of a referendum approved by San Antonio voters in 2020, securing new dedicated funding for transit improvements, including San Antonio’s first Advanced Rapid Transit corridor, and expanding service through initiatives such as VIA Link, the agency’s on-demand micro-transit service. He also oversaw the development of the Better Bus Plan, which featured a focus on frequency and reliability. Arndt’s advocacy for the VIA Rapid Green Line project was a critical step toward modernizing transportation for the region and helped secure $268 million in federal investment, a historic milestone for mobility in San Antonio that was announced by Federal Transit Administration officials on the VIA Metro Center grounds in December 2024.
Arndt helped forge a bold vision for a modern, prosperous San Antonio through collaboration spanning government, business and community sectors. He championed the idea that transit is a lifeline — one that puts opportunity within reach and elevates communities.
Named Outstanding General Manager by the Texas Transit Association twice, recipient of the organization’s Distinguished Service Award in 2024, and also recognized in 2024 with the Heart of the City Award by Visit San Antonio, Arndt is remembered as a strategist, a servant leader and an advocate for mobility as a force for equity and progress. His legacy continues to shape VIA’s trajectory — and the future of public transportation in our city.
With a life and career defined by service and investments that strengthened our community, Esperanza “Hope” Andrade ensured that VIA Metropolitan Transit improved the lives of her fellow San Antonians, Texans, and the traveling public. Her tireless advocacy for meaningful and equitable access to public transportation created generational impact throughout our region.
Andrade joined the VIA Board of Trustees in the 1990s and returned in 2015 to serve as its Chair, helping lead VIA through some of its most transformative years, including a ballot initiative in 2020 — a public vote that would solidify the future of advanced transit in San Antonio. Earning overwhelming voter approval, the measure secured funding for VIA’s Keep San Antonio Moving plan, and in doing so, changed the trajectory of the agency and public transit for millions of people.
“Very often we speak about the true purpose of public transportation: We move people,” Andrade said in 2018. “We connect them to opportunities for a better quality of life. We are with them on their journey. And they are with us while we plan a more mobile future for all.”
Notable projects realized under her leadership on the VIA Board include launching the nation’s first systemwide Wi-Fi program, dedicating Centro
Plaza at VIA Villa, completing a full conversion of VIA’s fleet from diesel to compressed natural gas vehicles, and winning support from voters in a historic election that delivered new, dedicated funding for transit improvements — investments in a brighter future she helped secure. Andrade’s legacy is a rich heritage that continues to touch lives, cemented in her contributions to uplift communities by putting opportunity within reach.
Glen Nelton Hartman is part of the VIA Metropolitan Transit story,
from its founding to the agency’s modern mission and vision to connect our community.
Hartman’s life began on a small South Texas farm and grew to touch the corners of the world, including the White House, Russia, and the Middle East as an interpreter and military intelligence agent. He made a home in San Antonio during a time of great change for the city.
Elected to City Council (1975-1979), he played a pivotal role in VIA’s founding, using his public platforms to advocate for causes he believed in, including public transportation. Much credit for the success of a 1977 initiative to form VIA as the state’s first Metropolitan Transit Authority is given to Hartman, one of its most vocal and active supporters. It is said the popular local TV personality and weatherman even ensured good weather for Election Day.
Hartman is remembered as a champion for public service and the
greater good, who led by example throughout his “unique, interesting, and blessed life,” part of which was spent driving the growth and advancement of the communities he served.
Upon his death in 2010, Hartman was described by former Mayor Phil Hardberger as a friend and a hero. “Glen was one of the most unsung heroes that really made San Antonio a better place,” Hardberger said. Hartman’s visionary efforts continue to help improve the lives of all those VIA serves.
As the founding chair of VIA Metropolitan Transit (1977-1980) and board member (1980-1981), Marilyn Jones led historic efforts to revolutionize San Antonio’s transit system and help realize a path for the region toward a transformative, modern era.
A lifelong champion for public transit, Jones helped lead the charge to establish VIA as the state’s first Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in 1977 and earn voter approval to fund operations that began in 1978.
She was as an educator and lifelong learner, and a political and civic leader for the San Antonio community who became a driving force behind the VIA we know today — a mobility provider that has been recognized many times over as the most outstanding MTA in Texas and named a national leader in transit innovation.
“With [VIA], San Antonio will have a chance to lead the state — and even the nation — in mass transit,” Jones predicted in 1977, a mission and charge the Board and staff Marilyn Jones at VIA continue to carry forward.
Robert Thompson’s service to transit and transit workers in San Antonio began well before VIA Metropolitan Transit was founded in 1977. His work to fortify the agency with a strong, unified workforce helped build VIA into a top-performing Metropolitan Transit Authority. His legacy and mission continue long after his passing in 1993.
Thompson, known as “Bob” or “Mr. T” to his many friends and supporters, began his career as a city bus operator, working for San Antonio Transit. He became a powerful and respected labor leader, faithfully serving the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 694 as a longtime member and elected officer.
Thompson helped organize and rally bus operators and local AFL-CIO members in support of the new MTA and laid out a guiding vision for its growth into the modern, service-focused transit agency that exists today. Among the many issues he championed for union membership, Thompson is credited with helping establish the first pension for VIA employees and though not an attorney, he successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court to establish national overtime pay requirements for all public employees. He later worked as part of the management team that helped develop and grow the VIAtrans paratransit service.
Robert Thompson’s name also graces the Union Hall he helped establish and the VIA transit station dedicated in honor of his legacy and contributions.
A letter signed by leadership of the local and national AFL-CIO organizations reads, in part: “Bob Thompson is a hero not only to ATU 694 members, but to millions of American workers indebted to his brilliance and tenacity.”
Nelson Wolff dedicated his life and career to public service as an
unabashed advocate for public transportation and someone who believed that mobility can transform communities.
Wolff was elected to the Texas House of Representatives (1971 1973), the Texas Senate (1973-1975) and the San Antonio City Council (1987-1991). He was San Antonio’s mayor (1991-1995) and completed his decades of public service as the Bexar County Judge (2001-2022). Through decades of service, Wolff remained steadfast in his vision for VIA’s future — and the role innovation will play in it.
He did not stand alone. For more than 20 years as county judge, he appointed transit-forward leaders to VIA’s Board of Trustees and charged them to carry out its mission of connecting the community. He challenged his fellow leaders to join him in supporting much-needed funding for VIA’s programs and services so the agency could continue its path toward modern mass transit. When VIA took this cause to the voters, it won setting the agency and our region on a new path.
Wolff’s ability to inspire generations of leaders helped push VIA to a period of tremendous growth and transformation in the 21st century. Former VIA Board Chair Hope Andrade noted that Wolff’s work would have lasting impact.
“While his place in our region’s history is shaped by his work on countless initiatives as a city, county and state elected leader, his role in its future will be defined by his efforts to advance public transit and transportation through a decades-long partnership with VIA and their shared mission to connect our community.”