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.
