Celebrating 40 years of VIA service and a more mobile future for our community.
“We’re Going Places”
VIA Metropolitan Transit rolled out it’s first buses in 1978, taking it’s name from the Latin word for “Road” and adopting the tag line: “We’re Going Places.”
The agency replaced the city-run San Antonio Transit System and began the next generation of public transportation in San Antonio and Bexar County.
VIA was created in 1977 when voters approved a half-cent sales tax to fund services. Additional funding came in 2004 when voters approved the formation of the Advanced Transportation District and a quarter-cent sales tax to expand operations.
In its first 40 years, VIA established itself among the best transit agencies in the nation with recognition for safety, reliability, and innovation. In 1990, the American Public Transportation Association named VIA the Best Transit Agency in North America.
The Texas Transit Association has named VIA the Outstanding Metropolitan Transit System in Texas ve times, most recently in March 2018 as it marked four decades of service.
“Driving the Future”
Today, VIA’s efforts to advance public transportation are transforming our community. The agency is focused on improved service, innovative passenger amenities, and strategic partnerships to set new milestones for transit in the region.
As VIA celebrates 40 years of mobility solutions, the agency is re ecting on its role in the community and looking toward the future.
While still funded with the half-cent sales tax approved in 1977, VIA provides nearly 40 million passenger trips per year and travels over 1,200 square miles in Bexar County. We are investing in innovation and using transit technology to change the passenger experience in the nation’s seventh-largest city.
New high-frequency routes and improved service, a state-of-the-art transit hub, award-winning mobile app, and move to cleaner, ‘greener’ buses have de ned VIA’s recent progress.
It was the first major transit agency in the country to provide free systemwide Wi-Fi and the first to provide riders instant access to an all-digital library. VIA’s conversion to a Compressed Natural Gas fleet began in 2017 and, when completed, will reduce NOx emissions by 97 percent.
In 2018, VIA will dedicate its 10-lane CNG fueling station, the largest in North America, proving its vision for a sustainable, more mobile future.
Read More: Community Leaders Commemorate VIA’s Four Decades of Transportation
VIA Celebrates 40
VIA Then and Now