Public transportation is being expanded in Stone Oak.
VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Board of Trustees recently approved adding to its lineup of VIA Link zones the far Northside community where it also opened a 400-space park-and-ride facility in 2018.
VIA Link is an on-demand, ride-sharing transit service provided by VIA.
The 20-square-mile area in Stone Oak is the latest on-demand zone to be added to the program since VIA Link Southeast, near Brooks, was launched in November. That brings the total zones in VIA’s service area to seven, leaving unserviced the West, far West and North sides of town.
VIA Metro estimates the annual cost for the service is $2.6 million, but is $4.4 million less than offering a similar service on a fixed route, according to VIA documents.
Similar to Uber and Lyft, passengers book a VIA Link van ride online using an app or by phone. The expected wait time is 20 minutes.
The on-demand service is $1.30 per ride and is available seven days a week but only within the designated zones in the city. See zone map here.
VIA Service Planning Manager Jessica Sifuentes said during a recent board meeting that passengers have asked for more park-and-ride services in Stone Oak.
Two years ago, VIA launched a shuttle that takes passengers from the park-and-ride in Stone Oak, located at 22139 U.S. Highway 281, to the San Antonio International Airport. The service operates as part of express service route 7, which has multiple stops between the facility and the airport.
Service is offered on weekdays in 30-minute intervals between 5:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Parking is free and the ride fare each way is $2.60 per person.
In the past year, route 7’s ridership has reached nearly 88,000, according to a VIA spokeswoman, with the airport stop being one of the most active along the route.
The start date for the Stone Oak VIA Link has not yet been determined.
