North San Antonio Edition | July 2023

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

COMPILED BY EDMOND ORTIZ

The rst all-electric buses in VIA Metropolitan Transit’s eet hit the streets of San Antonio beginning June 5. According to a news release, VIA acquired eight elec- tric buses from California-based manufacturer Gillig in December. VIA ocials said the eight buses are initially being rotated across four routes, one of which carries passengers to and from stops along Blanco Road between Loop 1604 and US 281 near Stone Oak and downtown San Antonio. The release states the 40-foot buses have no tailpipe emissions, feature several amenities, can sit 38 riders, and can be fully charged in four hours or less. The new buses are nicknamed “Arc” for arc discharge, referencing the electrical breakdown of a gas that produces a prolonged electrical discharge, VIA ocials said. According to the release, the new electric buses are included in VIA’s sustainable vehicle eet that totals nearly 500 buses fueled by compressed natural gas. VIA ocials said data collected from how the electric buses perform on their routes will be analyzed to deter- mine future routes and maximize usage. VIA President and CEO Jerey Arndt said growing the number of his agency’s sustainable vehicles will help the organization reduce overall vehicle emissions. VIA rolls out 8 all-electric buses across San Antonio

ONGOING PROJECTS

CHARGED AND READY TO GO VIA Metropolitan Transit has begun using eight all-electric buses, initially on four San Antonio service routes. All- electric buses feature the following capabilities:

BLANCO RD.

TRADESMAN DR.

1604

LOCKHILL SELMA RD.

No tailpipe emissions

281

Fully chargeable in four hours or less

Loop 1604 expansion Contractors tied to improvements of Loop 1604 worked May, June into July toward upgrading the over- pass at Blanco Road, widening main lanes between Lockhill-Selma Road and Blanco Road, and demolish- ing the existing Tradesman Drive bridge. The project will grow Loop 1604 from four to 10 lanes, add one high-occupancy vehicle lane in each direction, and add recongured entrance and exit ramps. Timeline: May 2021-TBD Cost: $1.3 billion Funding source: Texas Department of Transportation

150-mile range before recharging

38-seat rider capacity

USB charging ports at every seat

4 initial routes , including Route 2 Blanco Road

SOURCE: VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSITCOMMUNITY IMPACT

ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF JULY 20. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT NSANEWSCOMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.

VIA Metropolitan Transit put eight new all-electric buses into circulation in June. (Courtesy VIA Metropolitan Transit)

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