VIA ReadAlong – February 2019

PRÍMO POPS ON ZARZAMORA

The new Prímo 103 Zarzamora connects the bustling corridor with faster service and fewer stops. But that’s not all. Twenty-six new stops along the route feature new art panels that pop with color and meaning.

As part of VIA’s Art in Transit program, each of the enhanced stops feature laser-cut metal windscreens with designs created by local and national artists. Each piece depicts a slice of San Antonio culture, from waterways and childhood games to military history and Hispanic heritage.

“We hope that the spirit of each transit patron and surrounding community residents, will be lifted by the beauty and message that each of the artists’ contributions offer,” VIA Project Manager of Urban Design/Public Art Christine Vina said.

Each Prímo stop contains a nameplate with the title of the art piece and the artist.

‘Tres Mariachi’ (top right) by Luis Valderas and Kim Bishop, and ‘Día de los Muertos Lotería’ (bottom right) by Leigh Darilek and are two pieces of artwork installed at stops for the new Prímo 103 Zarzamora route.

Remembering Rosa

VIA operator recalls historic visit by civil rights leader

Ken Davison had been a bus operator for a little less than three years in the winter of 1987, when he got a call he’s never forgotten.

Davison, a lead dispatch supervisor who celebrates his 35th year with VIA this month, was chosen to drive the bus that would carry civil rights icon Rosa Parks during the City of San Antonio’s Martin Luther King, Jr. March.

In 1955, Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger helped spark the modern civil rights movement. She continued to champion justice and equality issues throughout her life, working alongside Dr. King and others.

“I was really excited and nervous, but aware of the significance of her visit,” Davison recalls. “I wanted to drive a perfect bus. I was enamored with everything about her visit; she was living history and I was going to get to be a part of it.”

Davison, now 58, said his family was thrilled and proud of him and he gained some popularity among friends and coworkers, he added with a chuckle.

He was 26 when he drove the 1950s-era vintage bus with Parks aboard, through the march that culminated with a ceremony in the shadows of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue at the corner of E. Houston St. and New Braunfels Ave.

VIA on Demand Coming Soon

Introducing transit service when you need it VIA will launch its “VIA on Demand” pilot project in April for riders in a 17-square-mile zone in the Northeast San Antonio area. The on-demand service is designed to shorten wait times and give customers new trip options to connect to their destination or with the larger VIA service area.

Here’s what you need to know about VIA on Demand:

• VIA on Demand will be introduced in April
• Sevice will be in the Naco Pass area where bus routes 640, 641 and 642 currently operate
• Book trips and pay using the VIA on Demand mobile app
• Trips may also be booked on the web and via telephone
• Pickups can be scheduled from 30 minutes up to 24 hours in advance
• Available seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Vehicles will be five-passenger mini-vans, branded with a VIA on Demand signage
• Accessible vans can be provided upon request
• Price for a trip is the same as VIA bus fares
• A typical rider will share his or her ride with up to three other riders in the van
• The Naco Pass bus stop provides frequent connections to VIA bus routes 10, 14 and 502

Visit VIAinfo.net/VOD for more information.