VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, TX, recently introduced to service three battery-electric, fast-charge buses from Proterra Inc. The buses are operating under the name “the Arc.”

The three composite body buses operate on VIA’s downtown circulator routes and they will be recharged at the Robert Thompson Transit Station at the Alamodome. The energy used to charge the batteries is generated either by solar panels installed as part of the project or by turbines in West Texas wind farms as part of VIA’s Windtricity agreement with CPS Energy.

“VIA is excited to have the oppor­tunity to bring electric buses to San Antonio,” said Jeffrey Arndt, VIA’s interim president and chief executive officer. “The Arc service marks a first for VIA as we introduce a completely emissions-free way to provide transit service to the central business district.”

VIA funded the Arc through a $5 million federal Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) grant. It was the only ­public transit agency in Texas to receive TIGGER funding and one of 43 grant recipients nationwide. The program encourages the use of cutting-edge ­environmental technologies.