SAN ANTONIO, Texas — VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Board of Trustees approved a plan on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, to increase frequency on five key routes starting April 14, reducing wait times and providing faster connections for riders on trips.
According to a news release, the frequency improvements are expected to contribute to the ridership growth VIA has experienced annually since 2022. VIA’s ridership is up by more than 27% since 2021 and reached nearly 31 million trips in 2024 — the third consecutive year in which overall ridership has climbed past 2021 ridership levels, signaling steady growth for 2025.
“Transit plays a critical role in our community, and we know that people are increasingly looking to VIA to get them to work and school, to their medical appointments and the grocery store — and all the other places that are important in their daily lives,” said Jon Gary Herrera, VIA’s president and CEO. “I am optimistic we will continue to see increases in ridership as we offer more service to the community through innovation and frequency.”
The following routes will see frequency improvements starting April 14:
20 New Braunfels – Weekend frequency modified from 20 minutes to 15 minutes
26 Martin Luther King – Weekend frequency modified from 40 minutes to 30 minutes
44 Pleasanton – Weekday frequency modified from 40 minutes to 30 minutes
68 Guadalupe – Weekday frequency modified from 20 minutes to 15 minutes
102 Primo Military – Weekday frequency modified from 15 minutes to 12 minutes
VIA plans to introduce additional frequency enhancements in August to continue strengthening the service.
VIA’s fixed-route ridership increased by nearly 2 million trips between 2023 and 2024. Ridership on VIA Link, a ride-share service similar to Uber or Lyft, and on VIAtrans, a paratransit service for customers who can’t use fixed-route service, has also grown annually since 2021. VIA has provided 136.3 million trips between 2020 and 2024.
As part of the voter-approved Keep SA Moving plan, VIA is making investments in innovative transit projects, such as VIA Rapid, VIA Link and the Better Bus plan. VIA Rapid will be San Antonio’s first Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) system.
The VIA Rapid Green Line, running north-south along San Pedro Avenue, is set to launch in late 2027. The VIA Rapid Silver Line, which would run east-west from the Frost Bank Center to North General McMullen on the west side, is projected to be completed in 2029.
VIA Link, an on-demand ride service like Uber and Lyft, connects riders within designated zones, including transit centers and traditional bus stops. VIA launched its fifth VIA Link zone in 2024 and plans for future growth.
VIA’s Better Bus Plan, which aims to deliver faster, more direct service on traditional bus routes, is expected to decrease wait times across the network to 30 minutes or less.
Source: VIA Metropolitan Transit
