The Alamo City had public transportation for over a century when Texas cities began recreating transit under new tax-based funding in the late 1970s. In San Antonio, we established VIA. And we stood out from the very first, setting high standards and garnering numerous awards—in service, safety, innovation, environmental action, even financial reporting. In 1990, we were even named Best Transit System in North America. Yet for most of our first three decades, we did all this at half the tax rate used by other major Texas cities and still kept our fares the lowest in the state.

Today, VIA serves over 40 million passengers a year with almost 7,000 bus stops in a 1,226 square mile area. More than any time in our history, the city’s growth, rising gasoline prices and green concerns challenge us to create new transit options. And we have. In recent years, we’ve expanded bus routes and service hours. We’ve made our fleet more environmentally-friendly than ever. We’ve introduced Vanpooling for commuters, Starlight service for late night trips inside Loop 410, and much more. And plans have already begun on Bus Rapid Transit, to carry us smoothly and swiftly into the future.

Join us in celebrating our 30th Anniversary throughout the year.

• 30 years. Ride on. Brochure (PDF)