VIA Metropolitan Transit opened its Stone Oak Park and Ride facility and services on Monday, which gives commuters a bus ride to downtown San Antonio and the South Texas Medical Center after parking at the far Northside facility.
The $28.3 million four-story garage situated at the corner of U.S. 281 N. and Stone Oak Parkway includes an air-conditioned waiting area, a full-service customer service center, and 377 parking spaces.
The Stone Oak facility joins seven other park and ride locations where commuters can park their cars and ride VIA buses that return back to the facility at the end of a workday. The Stone Oak site is the second largest in terms of parking capacity, behind Crossroads Park and Ride.
With the facility, VIA aims to to reduce congestion on Highway 281 and alleviate over-crowded parking facilities around downtown and at the medical center on the city’s northwest side.
VIA’s Park and Ride Service also operates for special events like Spurs games and Fiesta. All bus services at such facilities cost $5 round trip with discounts available for children aged 5-11, riders who are more than 62 years old, Medicare recipients, persons with disabilities, and students with a valid identification card.
Its free however to park at all of the eight locations. For a full list of VIA’s park and ride facilities, click here.
The Stone Oak Park & Ride location serves Route 7 Stone Oak Express and Route 503 Huebner Crosstown.
While services began on Monday, construction on the facility will not be complete until late 2020 when an expanded 281 will connect to the Stone Oak Park and Ride. VIA contracted Sundt Contruction for the design and build of the structure.
The Stone Oak Express route will no longer service the bus stop at Walmart on U.S. 281 North.
Six stops along the 503 route have also been cut:
- 28773 – Stonehue and Stone Oak Parkway
- 28777 – Stonehue and Huebner
- 67143 – Madison Oak East of Stone Oak Parkway
- 67193 – Madison Oak at North Central Baptist Hospital
- 67199 – Madison Oak across North Central Baptist Hospital
- 67149 – Madison Oak East of Stone Oak Parkway
It’s unknown how many people will use the park and ride service at Stone Oak, Lorraine Pulido, communications manager for VIA Metropolitan Transit, told the Rivard Report.
“We are confident that as community members learn of the new Stone Oak Park and Ride facility, they will take advantage of the service to connect to the places where they live, work, and play,” Pulido said.
I am all for public transit but Stone Oak is super far for VIA park & ride service to downtown. I am wondering why that location is was chosen. It would almost make more sense to build downtown affordable housing programs with the money spent on a garage.
Why would Via Transit build housing?
Maybe you don’t understand the point of park and ride. These facilities are intended to shorten the amount of time that people drive their personal vehicles to their end destination. From the City’s perspective, a resident of San Antonio can drive 5 minutes to get to a Park and Ride and get on a VIA bus to take them the rest of the way, or they can drive 20-30 minutes all the way to their end point. Which is better for traffic reduction and environmental impact? Obviously it is up to VIA to promote this new park and ride service center to the residents of Stone Oak, but if they can get more people in the area to ride the bus and not clog 1604 and 281 with all their cars, all of San Antonio wins.
There is no “5 minutes” to that facility unless you live on Stone Oak Parkway. 377 less cars is not going to make even a marginal dent in the traffic. It appears that it is only for those who work in those TWO places and not for those who want to go to either of those TWO places in the middle of the day for an appointment or meeting. Total waste of money.
Plus, all the people that were taking the Walmart route will now have to drive to Stone Oak???? That is insane! It is a LONG way from Walmart to the new VIA place. Thus creating more traffic on 281. Plus, if all the people who use the Walmart Park and Ride go to Stone Oak, how the heck are you gonna add more people to the system? Essentially, you are just moving them, or causing them to drive cause going north when you wanna go south is stupid.
6 will still go to Wal-Mart. 7 will not.
If could be argued that if the city offered more affordable housing to those that want it downtown the need for a park & ride that far north wouldn’t be necessary. What I am asking is which would provide a better result. Housing or just a parking garage with an express bus route attached to it.
I tried the new VIA park n ride this morning. Detailed review posted on VIA’s FB. Some positives, but bottom line, I ended up getting back in my truck and driving in ????
Hello John. I couldn’t find your detailed review on Facebook. Do you mind sharing it with us here?
Is there additional parking available nearby? With only 377 spots for two routes, that isn’t very many vehicles taken off the road every day. As someone who was a regular rider on bus route 6, I can attest that only certain times of the day were the buses nearing capacity. But it’s still not a significant number of vehicles off of the road for the number of people commuting to work downtown.
Sooo, the tax payers forked out $75,000 a spot in the garage. 375 spots will not even come close to even creating a noticeable dent in traffic. VIA needs to focus on its primary mission, creating affordable transportation in high need areas. This does not qualify. What a waste of money.
RXACTLY !!! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? WE NEED ANSWERS. WE NEED OUR TAX DOLLARS BACK!! SHERYL SCULLY NEEDS TO GIVE US ANSWERS. PATHETIC!!
VIA needs to concrate on more frequent service and better stops, so you arent standing in 90 degree sun or rain waiting 15 min. I got a job near airport, but my route would have been 70 min and included walking to transfer versus 10 in car.
Why is it that Stone Oak gets this kind of facility? Air conditioned waiting area? Why not the rest of the park and rides?
They all have air conditioned waiting areas.
“It’s unknown how many people will use the park and ride service at Stone Oak, Lorraine Pulido, communications manager for VIA Metropolitan Transit, told the Rivard Report.”
really?! not very reassuring or comforting remarks from Via.
I am trying this route right now. Just for fun. I have a monthly bus pass . I am bored so lets see what i see out in stone oak. I am from the westside. I never been to stone oak 😉
Not sure who thought this up. It’s a collasal waste of money. Do you think all the folks up in the Stone Oak area are willing to give up the comfort of their own very nice vehicles and the liberty of coming and going in their own schedule to ride a city bus? The money should have been spent in areas where bus ridership is dense. 375 spaces will not even be noticeable on 281 traffic and that’s if they are used every day which is highly doubtful. Sad.
TRUTH!!! WHO IS RESPINDIBLE FOR THIS? CHERYL SCULLY? PLEASE POST WHO MADE THIS ABSURD, IGNORANT AND ????????REPREHENSIBLY IRRESPONSIBLE DECISION SO THAT THEY CAN BE FIRED BEFORE THEY WASTE ANOTHER $30 MILLION!!
Thank you VIA for your continuous outstanding service to our community. Monthly bus pass is key.
I think it would make sense to add some late night shuttles on Friday and Saturday nights. It would be nice to be able to ride down to riverwalk to hangout for dinner and fun.
That’s just what San Antonio would need more section 8 recipients who do nothing but cause problems Downtown I’m glad San Antonio has set the steps for gentrification… And yes this was very smart of via to build this…will now open job opportunitys to those who couldn’t travel as far.
so much for positive feedback
I think you all need to reconsider having bus number six travel to the new Stone Oak via transit I had a problem today trying to get back to my car at the Stone Oak Parkway those are my recommendations I work for the school district and we are traveling all day teaching students on how to ride buses so I think it’s a good idea for y’all to do that.
COMPLETE WASTE OF $$30 MILLION. FIRE THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEBACLE OF A DISASTER IMMEDIATELY! NO ONE IN STONE OAK WILL USE VIA AND ANYONE WITH AN EIGHTH GRADE EDUCATION COULD TELL YOU THAT. SERIOUSKY QUIT WASTING OUR TAXES AND BUY A CLUE. HEADS NEED TO ROLL ON THIS MONUMENTAL MISTAKE NOT TO MENTION PATHETIC EYESORE.