VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio, TX, recently introduced service on the region’s first high-capacity Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line—VIA Primo.

“This is an exciting day for our bus riders and the greater San Antonio community,” said Jeff Arndt, VIA interim president/chief executive officer. “Today we begin service on the first high-capacity transit mode in the VIA service area, and we are setting this agency on the path to becoming a multimodal system. The amount of planning and construction related to the development of VIA Primo has been significant, but the results are well worth it, and the benefits will be realized for decades to come.”

Primo operates daily between 4 a.m. and 1 a.m. between downtown San Antonio and the new South Texas Medical Center Transit Center. It stops at designated stations along the way and at the Westside Multimodal Transit Center. Every 30 minutes, the service runs on an extended route that serves the main campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio.

VIA also introduced new, 60-foot articulated buses to serve the Primo route. The vehicles, powered with compress natural gas, include interior room for up to three bicycles and free Wi-Fi for passengers.

The South Texas Medical Center Transit Center replaces the previous transfer point on Merton Minter. It features additional bus bays and a larger staging area for the 60-foot VIA Primo vehicles. Amenities in the indoor waiting area include air conditioning, restrooms, vending machines, and a ticket window providing customer service. The facility also offers real-time bus arrival displays and free parking.

With the goal of providing renewable energy, VIA designed the South Texas Medical Center Transit Center with solar panels.

Crowds board VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Primo BRT service on opening day.