Welcome to the VIA blog. Check back here from time to time on issues that pop up
regarding VIA. If you have any questions about VIA or want to get more information
on any subject, please feel free to send us an
e-mail. Comments received by individuals are welcomed, but will not be posted online and may not receive a reply.
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11/4/2009
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Veterans Day parade prompts detours
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On Saturday, November 7, the Veterans Day parade will take place downtown, and several VIA bus routes will be on detours at this time. The detours will begin at 11:45 a.m. and will continue until the
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11/4/2009
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North Star construction coming along
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Have you been waiting for the North Star Transit Center? It won't be much longer.
I was out at the site today, and construction is coming right along. When complete early next year, this facility will
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10/28/2009
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Veterans Day schedule explained
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Veterans Day is coming up again, and once again VIA is running holiday service for that day. But, as before, this day is handled a bit differently than other holidays, so let's go over what
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10/16/2009
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Congressman to talk electric buses
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Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (U.S. House of Representatives, District 23) will be at VIA on Saturday, October 17 to announce the federal government's granting of $5 million to VIA to pay for electric buses.
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9/22/2009
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Electric buses get attention
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The announcement that VIA was awarded a federal grant to pay for three electric buses and related equipment has garnered some attention for the agency and the concept of pollution-free transit
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9/17/2009
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Jazz festival prompts detours
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Jazz'SAlive is back.
The yearly jazz festival sponsored by the San Antonio Parks Foundation and the City of San Antonio will be held in Travis Park once again. It's a free two-day event showcasing
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9/4/2009
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SmartWaySA kick off wrapped up
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The week of public meetings and workshops that kicked off the SmartWaySA effort was wrapped up last night. A lot of people participated in this exercise, including bus riders, concernced citizens, planners,
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9/1/2009
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Opening meeting for SmartWaySA well attended
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The first meeting of the SmartWaySA effort was held last night, August 31, at Sunset Depot to kick off the planning effort for the Long-Range Comprehensive Transportation Plan. By all accounts, there
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8/31/2009
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SmartWaySA kicks off
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Just a reminder: VIA's SmartWaySA effort kicks off tonight with the first of several public sessions designed to gather your input on the Long-Range Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Visit the SmartWaySA
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8/26/2009
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SmartWaySA media event
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VIA held a media event this morning to announce the kick off meetings for SmartWaySA , an outreach effort designed to help shape the Long-Range Comprehensive Transportation Plan. See the video of
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8/12/2009
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Why service changes?
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Another round of service changes is coming up August 24 . This is the third time this year VIA has made revisions to its scheduled line services, and one more round will be done before the end of 2009.
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8/11/2009
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Transit PD helps seniors stay cool
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The San Antonio Fire Department has been collecting fans all summer to help senior citizens beat the heat through Project Cool , and today the effort got a boost from workers at VIA Metropolitan
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7/29/2009
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Morgan's Wonderland will get bus service
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On July 28, 2009, the VIA Board of Trustees agreed to provide bus service for the Morgan's Wonderland family fun park off Thousand Oaks Drive and Wurzbach Parkway.
Morgan's Wonderland was conceived
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7/23/2009
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VIA and the environment
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You may have already heard that VIA is now using CPS Energy's Windtricity for all of our power needs, and you might already know that we are actively looking to implement solar-power systems where feasible
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7/21/2009
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EPA awards engine grant to VIA
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has awarded a grant to VIA Metropolitan Transit that will allow the agency to upgrade some of its buses with new engines.
The $1,013,719 grant was
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5/21/2009
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Memorial Day
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Just a reminder -- VIA will be on a Saturday schedule for Memorial Day on Monday, May 25. Click here for more details .
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4/13/2009
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Bus service downtown during Fiesta parades
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During Fiesta, the parades require VIA to reroute the buses that go through downtown, and riders should be aware of these reroutes and where to board the buses. Though this piece offers some valuable
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4/7/2009
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New downtown center to open soon
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VIA's new Downtown Information Center will be open soon, and when it's up and running bus riders in the central business district will have more amenities available to them.
The new center will
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4/7/2009
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Route profile: 79 Ruiz Frequent
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What's the easiest way to get to Rosedale Park? If you're coming from the downtown area, that way might be on route 79 Ruiz Frequent .
Route 79 comes up Frio Street to head west on Ruiz Street. At
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3/31/2009
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Route profile: 77 Martin
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Route 77 Martin provides a one-seat ride from the Loma Terrace neighborhood all the way into downtown, serving such corridors as Aurora Avenue, Rivas Street, Poplar Street, and 24th Street before getting
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3/4/2009
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Route profile: 76 Old Highway 90 West Skip
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To get out along West Commerce Street a little quicker, all a rider has to do is hop on route 76 Old Highway 90 West Skip . This route follows the same path as route 75 till just beyond General McMullen
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2/25/2009
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Route profile: 75 West Commerce Frequent
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If you want to get an early start riding the bus on the West Side, you might want to try route 75 West Commerce . This frequent service route begins service at 4:07 a.m. at the University Family Health
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2/17/2009
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Calling all young artists
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Do you have artists in the family, young ones who love to draw or paint? Then VIA's Youth Art Contest might be just the thing for them.
The art contest for 2009 kicks off March 2 and runs
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2/13/2009
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Route profile: 70 West Durango
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Route 70 West Durango is a minor radial route that winds its way through the West Side between Buena Vista Street and Guadalupe Street. It begins its trip going west along Commerce Street (taking Buena
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2/4/2009
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Route profile: 68 Guadalupe Frequent
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A workhorse of the West Side, route 68 Guadalupe provides frequent service along Frio Street and Guadalupe Street. The route continues on Old Castroville Road to make a stop at the Las Palmas Shopping
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2/4/2009
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Joint meeting of the VIA Board and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority
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A j oint meeting of the VIA Board of Trustees and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority Board of Directors will be held on Thursday, February 5, 2009 to discuss the findings of the San
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1/30/2009
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Route profile: 67 Laredo
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Route 67 Laredo is a short route that travels down Laredo Street and Saltillo Street until it turns around at the Las Palmas Shopping Center. Once there the route makes connections with four other routes
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1/28/2009
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BRT back on track
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At their regularly scheduled meeting last night (January 27), the members of the VIA Board of Trustees voted to continue the bus rapid transit project after a 90-day delay, and an official announcement
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1/16/2009
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How can you help cut 3 million miles?
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You can ride the bus and start earning rewards. Click here to find out more about the 3,000,000 Mile Commuter Challenge.
Stephen Andy Scheidt, Public Information Coordinator
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1/15/2009
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Happy Martin Luther King Day
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Just a reminder: VIA Metropolitan buses, streetcars, and customer service outlets will be on a Saturday schedule for the Martin Luther King holiday. Click here for more details .
Stephen Andy Scheidt,
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1/9/2009
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What do you think?
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Houston Metro is celebrating the second anniversary of the inception of "Write On Metro," that agency's official blog. When that blog was started, it was the first one in the nation to be run by a transit
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1/9/2009
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Route profile: 66 Ceralvo Frequent
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Route 66 Ceralvo Frequent starts its journey through the West Side of San Antonio by traveling out Commerce Street. The route then turns south on Colorado Street and then onto Brazos Street to serve
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1/8/2009
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Listening to our riders
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Tonight (January 8) VIA will hold a public hearing to share proposed service changes for March, but there will be one alteration to the proposals. That alteration is the cancellation of the proposed revision
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12/23/2008
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Merry Christmas!
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Just a reminder -- VIA will be on holiday schedules for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
On Wednesday, December 24 VIA buses will run on a Saturday schedule, and on Thursday, December 25 they will
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12/23/2008
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Stop at Justice Center returns
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Beginning Wednesday, December 24, the bus stop on Dolorosa at the Bexar County Justice Center will be reopened. This is stop 89913, and it will serve routes 17, 21, 64, and 70.
Stephen Andy Scheidt,
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12/22/2008
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Stops on Culebra removed
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Effective today, December 22, several stops serving the inbound trips of routes 82 and 88 have been removed.
The Texas Department of Transportation continues with its construction on Culebra Road,
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12/19/2008
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Route profile: 64 US 90 Express
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Route 64 US 90 Express provides express service to the West Side of San Antonio. The route travels out U.S. Highway 90 to the Kel-Lac Transit Center, and then it continues to Loop 410 and exits on Military
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12/19/2008
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Free rides to the Feast
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If you are planning to go to the H-E-B Feast of Sharing Saturday, December 20, don't forget that VIA can take you there for free.
VIA will allow all riders going to or coming from the Feast of Sharing
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12/19/2008
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Two new stops for route 632
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Beginning Monday, December 22, route 632 Randolph/Ventura will get two more stops.
These new stops are 26643 for the outbound trips and 26649 for the inbound trips, and they will be installed at the
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12/16/2008
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One stop closes, another one opens
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Due to road construction, a bus stop on route 21 inbound will be closed for about a month. Stop 59839 on the access road of IH-35 at New Braunfels Avenue will be shut down beginning Thursday, December
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12/15/2008
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Main Plaza stops coming back
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In coordination with the City of San Antonio, VIA plans to reopen several of its bus and streetcar stops in the Main Plaza area. These stops should be open at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, December 16, 2008.
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12/12/2008
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Bus stop changes for December 16
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On Tuesday, December 16, 2008 a number of bus stop changes will be made:
New stops added
57249 - State Highway 151 West access road and Hunt Lane, far side of intersection. This stop will serve
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12/11/2008
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Route profile: 62 Kirk
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Route 62 Kirk provides a link from the downtown area to Port San Antonio, which used to be Kelly Air Force Base.
Port San Antonio is a 1,900 acre complex that serves as an airport, a railport, a
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12/10/2008
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Alternative energy source used for transit center
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VIA constantly looks for ways to reduce pollution and energy consumption, and part of this search is the exploration of alternative energy sources for agency facilities. In July 2008, VIA took a
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12/9/2008
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Route profile: 54 South Alamo
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Though it is one of the shorter routes in VIA's system, 54 South Alamo still manages to serve many different streets throughout the neighborhoods on the Southwest Side.
Route 54 starts out traveling
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12/5/2008
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Route profile: 51 Nogalitos
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Route 51 Nogalitos serves the South Side of town along Nogalitos Street. Just past Zarzamora Street the route hops onto Somerset Road, and then it turns onto Barlite Boulevard to serve the Southwest
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12/2/2008
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Route profile: 46 Commercial
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Route 46 Commercial winds through many neighborhood streets on its journey into the South Side of San Antonio. The route goes through the King William area before turning onto Probandt Street. Then
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11/26/2008
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Happy Thanksgiving
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VIA wishes all of its riders a Happy Thanksgiving. And don't forget that VIA buses and streetcars will be on a Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving and a Saturday schedule for the day after.
Click here
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11/18/2008
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Committee approves new fares
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The Local Governmental Approval Committee, an ad hoc committee made up of elected officials, has approved VIA's new fares. The fare changes were approved at a meeting today, and they will go
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11/18/2008
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Route profile: 44 Pleasanton
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Route 44 Pleasanton , which serves the deep South Side, used to have a very large alternating loop. This loop was discontinued when the route was split in two, becoming the new route 43 and the modified
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11/13/2008
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Marathon transit detours
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Just to remind you, VIA bus lines in the downtown area will have major detours during the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon on Sunday, November 16.
Beginning at 4:00 a.m., VIA bus routes that normally
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11/12/2008
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Bus stop on Alamo Street moved
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A bus stop in the King William area has been moved.
Stop number 29367 at the corner of South Alamo and Sheridan has been moved from the nearside of the intersection to 70 feet beyond the intersection.
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11/4/2008
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Veterans Day parade prompts detours
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On Saturday, November 8, the Veterans Day parade will take place downtown, and several VIA bus routes will be on detours at this time. The detours will begin at 11:45 a.m. and will continue until the
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11/3/2008
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Bus stops added
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A couple of new bus stops have been added to VIA's inventory. They are:
35447 Wilson and Cincinnati - This bus stop serves the inbound trips of route 89 and is positioned on the far side of the intersection.
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10/28/2008
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Veterans Day: buses on regular schedule, customer service on Saturday schedule
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To avoid confusion regarding VIA services for Veterans Day, let's summarize what the service is: On Tuesday, November 11, VIA buses will run their regular weekday schedules, but the information centers
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10/27/2008
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Route profile: 43 South Flores
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Route 43 South Flores is a relatively new route. In June 2008, it was split off from the old route 44, which used to have an alternating loop that covered both South Flores Street and Pleasanton Road
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10/24/2008
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New bus stop in Deco District
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A new bus stop has been added in the Deco District at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Zarzamora Street. This is stop 19293, and it is on the near side of the intersection on Fredericksburg
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10/22/2008
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Take the bus, check out a book
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Did you know VIA can take you to your local library?
Many of VIA's bus routes provide service to the City of San Antonio Public Library branches, and we have put together a convenient brochure to help
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10/22/2008
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Route profile: 42 Roosevelt
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Traveling deep into the South Side - and beyond - can be as easy as hopping on board route 42 Roosevelt .
Route 42 leaves the downtown area on South St. Mary's Street and continues down Roosevelt
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10/20/2008
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Remembering safety tip 2
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A recent story on KSAT-12 reports on the death of a woman who was running alongside a moving truck. She fell and she was dragged by the truck, and she died at the scene.
This tragic story serves
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10/13/2008
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Route profile: 36 South Presa
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Route 36 South Presa is one to pay attention to. At first glance, the route seems to be fairly straightforward, but it has a few features that make it a bit different from other routes.
For starters,
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10/9/2008
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Route profile: 34 South St. Mary's
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Route 34 South St. Mary's serves the southeast part of town. It leaves the downtown area along South St. Mary's Street and Roosevelt Avenue, and then it turns east at Eads Street to travel down Fair
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10/7/2008
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Route profile: 32 Steves
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Though Steves Avenue is the main thoroughfare served by 32 Steves , numerous other streets and roadways are also on the route. Starting with South St. Mary's Street as the route leaves downtown, the
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10/7/2008
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Train accident cleared
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The train accident this morning that caused VIA buses to go on detours has been cleared. VIA buses are running on their regular routes.
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10/7/2008
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Detours due to train accident
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A train struck a truck in the vicinity of Delgado Street and Frio Street. The train is stopped on the tracks, and eight VIA bus routes that serve Five Points, Culebra Road, and Poplar Street are
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10/2/2008
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LiveGreenFest set for October 11
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If you ride the bus regularly, you are already helping to reduce air pollution in the San Antonio area. If you don't yet, you could do your part for cleaner air just by riding VIA. And you can learn a
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10/2/2008
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Express route 63 delayed
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VIA will not start the new route 63 SH 151 Express with the route changes scheduled to take effect November 3, 2008. This route - which was designed to provide express service from the area around
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9/24/2008
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Route profile: 30 Rigsby
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Route 30 Rigsby serves the Southeast Side, traveling down Durango Boulevard and Hackberry Street before turning on Rigsby Avenue and heading east to Loop 410. The majority of trips on this route end
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9/24/2008
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VIA board approves new fares
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At their September 23, 2008 meeting, the VIA Board of Trustees voted to increase VIA's fares, but not by the amount previously proposed.
The new slate of fares will now be presented to the Local Governmental
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9/23/2008
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Route profile: 28 Porter
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When traveling through the East Side on route 28 Porter , one takes a winding path with alternating trips that eventually end up at the Wal-Mart at Rigsby Avenue and Loop 410.
Route 28 initially travels
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9/19/2008
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Bus stop on South Flores moved
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In order to relocate next to a signalized crosswalk, bus stop 17867 on South Flores across from the San Antonio Housing Authority will be moved. The new stop will be 250 feet to the north at the intersection
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9/17/2008
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Jazz festival prompts detours
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It's that time of year for Jazz'SAlive , San Antonio's annual jazz festival in Travis Park. This year the festivities are set for September 20 and 21 , and the headliner is none other than jazz legend
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9/17/2008
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VIA continuing to provide service for Ike evacuees
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VIA continues to provide two special routes to Hurricane Ike evacuees. These routes are running every day from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and they will keep running until the shelter at Port San Antonio
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9/16/2008
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Route profile: 26 Martin Luther King
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Route 26 Martin Luther King serves the East Side of San Antonio out to W.W. White Road. Traveling down Iowa Street before turning onto Martin Luther King Drive, route 26 goes by St. Gerard's High School
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3/13/2008
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Pssst. Want to know a secret?
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Wow! $3.15 for a gallon of gas and rising. Who likes paying that? Not our bus riders. They know the secret to saving while everyone else is spending.
The rising gas prices are
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