VIA Metropolitan Transit

VIA Metropolitan Transit serves the city of San Antonio, Texas as well as its surrounding municipalities.

History

VIA Metropolitan Transit began operations in 1978 after voters approved a half-cent sales tax to fund the service. It is the successor to the San Antonio Transit System.

For the majority of its existence, VIA has only used propane-fueled buses. They did not order their first diesel-fueled buses until 2000.

Routes

VIA operates 6 different types of routes; Metro, Frequent, Skip, Express, VIVA, and Primo. The routes are numbered from 2-660.

Metro (Purple) routes serve specific residential areas and usually run every 30-60 minutes.

Frequent (Red) routes are similar to Metro routes, but run every 15 minutes through most of the day.

Skip (Green) routes serve frequently-traveled roads but have fewer stops to reduce travel times.

Express (Orange) routes run along major highways in San Antonio and are designed for quick travel between Downtown San Antonio and specific residential area, transit centers, or military bases.

VIVA (Turquoise) routes are specially designed Skip routes that serve local tourist attractions and landmarks, such as museums, shopping districts, and the Missions.

Primo routes are Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines that serve the heaviest traveled corridors using articulated buses and 40 foot buses. VIA plans to expand Primo service to other corridors in future decades.

Fares

Local: $1.30

Express: $2.60

Transfers: Free

Day Pass: $2.75

VIAtrans (Paratransit) Service: $2.00

31-Day Pass: $38

7-Day Pass: $12

Semester Pass (for K-12 and College Students): $38

Transit Bus Roster

Active

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
261-324		2005	New Flyer	D40LF	Cummins ISL	ZF 5HP592C	Some units retired.
325-338		2006	New Flyer	D40LF	Cummins ISL	ZF 5HP592C
339-375		2008	New Flyer	D40LF	Cummins ISL	ZF 5HP592C
376-405		2010	New Flyer	DE40LFR	Cummins ISL	Allison EP40 hybrid system	Used on express routes only. First order of diesel-electric hybrid buses. Feature cushioned seats and reading lamps. Recently repainted into the new red livery.
406-420		2016	New Flyer	XN40	Cummins Westport ISL G	Allison B400R
421-691		2016-2017	Nova Bus	LFS Natural Gas	Cummins Westport ISL G	Voith D864.6	Part of a 5 year agreement for up to 500 buses to replace the aging diesel fleet.
692-735		2018	Nova Bus	LFS Natural Gas	Cummins Westport L9N	Voith D864.6
736-757		2020	Nova Bus	LFS Natural Gas	Cummins Westport L9N	Voith D864.6
801-806		2020	Nova Bus	LFS Natural Gas	Cummins Westport L9N	Voith D864.6	LFX styling. Feature cushioned seats and reading lamps.
850		2000	NABI	40-LFW (040.05)	Cummins ISL	Allison B400R	Only remaining active NABI in fleet. Used to issue new tap ID cards for future fare payment.
947-950		2010	NABI	40-LFW CNG	Cummins Westport ISL G	Allison B400R	First order of CNG buses.
951-966		2012	NABI	60-BRT CNG	Cummins Westport ISL G	Allison B500R	First order of articulated buses. Used exclusively for the Primo (Route 100) service.
967-969		2013	NABI	60-BRT CNG	Cummins Westport ISL G	Allison B500R	Purchased for fleet expansion when service was added to the city of Leon Valley.
970-987		2018	Nova Bus	LFS Natural Gas	Cummins Westport L9N	Voith D864.6	LFX styling. Primarily used on routes 102 and 103.
988-989		2020	Nova Bus	LFS Natural Gas	Cummins Westport L9N	Voith D864.6	LFX styling. Primarily used on routes 102 and 103.

On Order

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
118-125		2022	Gillig	Low Floor Plus			Order for 8 40-foot battery electric buses Replacing the propane trolleys downtown Fleet numbers tentative Expected delivery Fall 2022
758-776		2022	Gillig	Low Floor	Cummins Westport L9N	Voith D864.6	First Gillig buses for VIA First buses in the fleet to include USB charging ports underneath the seats Order of 19 out of 113 buses Currently on delivery

Retired

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
77-95		1982-1983	Chance	VS-24			Trolley replicas used in "Alamo Street Car" service.
96-100		1999	Optima	AH-28 Propane	Cummins Westport B LPG Plus	Allison B300R
101-114 (2nd)		2005	Optima	AH-28 Propane	Cummins Westport B LPG Plus	Allison B300R
111-120		1980	Chance	RT-50
115-117		2012	Proterra	EcoRide BE35			First electric buses in the fleet. Only used on downtown circulator routes. All retired and auctioned off in 2021.
123-129		1984	Chance	RT-50
130-137		1985	Chance	RT-50
138-177		1986	Chance	RT-52
200-320		1977-1978	GMC	RTS-01 (TH-8201)	Detroit Diesel 8V71N	Allison V730
200-260 (2nd)		2003	NFI	D40LF	Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR	ZF 5HP592C
321-443		1981	GMC	RTS-04 (T7W-204)	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison V730
444-528		1984	GMC	RTS-04 (T7W-204)	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison V730	506 was purchased by a private owner for an RV conversion project. It was not completed and was listed on Craigslist in South San Antonio, TX on 10/3/2019.
529		1988	TMC	RTS-06 (T70-606)	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison V731
530-632		1988	TMC	RTS-06 (T70-206)	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison V731	1 unit (VIN: 1TUNDT2A2JR825715) was purchased by American Bus Coach Inc. and became a party limo bus numbered 105. It was spotted near Annandale, VA on 2/12/2018.
633-662		1992	TMC	RTS-06 (T80-206)	Detroit Diesel 6L71TA	Allison V731
663-729 (1st) 947 (1st)		2000	Champion	Solo			Powered by propane fuel.
730-809 (2nd)		8/1999	NABI	40-LFW (040.05)	Cummins ISL	Allison B400R	First buses built in North America equipped with the Cummins ISL engine. Some units were rebuilt using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Some units were repainted into the new VIA wave livery.
810-889		2000	NABI	40-LFW (040.05)	Cummins ISL	Allison B400R	Some units were repainted into the new VIA wave livery. 850 is the only bus still active for special duty.
890-946		2001	NABI	40-LFW (040.05)	Cummins ISL	Allison B400R	Some units were repainted into the new VIA wave livery.
9901				RTS			Listed for auction on PublicSurplus in October 2021.

VIAtrans pararansit

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
V-263		2006	Chevrolet	C4500 cutaway			VIN - 1GBE4V1GX6F413105
V-359		2013	Chevrolet	G4500 cutaway			VIN - 1GB6G5BB7D1130539

References

• VIA (official site)
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