Commuting to campus just got easier as VIA Metropolitan Transit has launched a daily bus service to A&M-San Antonio. The new service is an extension of Route 44 Pleasanton, which connects downtown to the South Side. The dedicated bus line will run directly from campus—with a stop on Jaguar Parkway—to Centro Plaza along Pleasanton Road, offering transfers to several other VIA routes.
“This is a great new asset for students, faculty and staff,” said Cheron Kuykendall, program coordinator for the University’s Parking and Transportation Services. “It allows those who don’t have access to a car to be able to easily travel to campus without worrying about traffic. With so much growth happening around campus and on the South Side, this is a big convenience that will hopefully help cut down on congestion.”
Part of that growth includes Educare San Antonio and the Public Health and Education Building, both of which are scheduled to open on campus this year. There’s also the University’s athletic complex, with a competition track and softball field, scheduled to open this semester.
The bus runs seven days a week from 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., arriving every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Students, faculty and staff are eligible for VIA’s U-Pass, which give them access to free public transportation. Riders must show a University ID to take advantage of the program.
VIA Metropolitan Transit previously offered direct bus service to the University, but it was discontinued in 2019 and replaced with VIA LINK. The on-demand ride-sharing van service is still operating and requires users to book in advance. It offers a limited number of stops and runs daily from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Student Rolando Morales lives on the South Side and often relied on VIA LINK to get to campus. But now, he plans to take advantage of the new bus service.
“It’s so much quicker and easier,” said Morales, a senior majoring in communications. “I live about 20 minutes from A&M-San Antonio, so the convenience really helps me save time.”
Celine Dobbs, manager of strategic communications and programming at VIA, said the transit company decided to once again extend bus service to the University as part of a multi-year initiative dubbed Better Bus Plan that is focused on improving frequency, reliability, and overall system performance.
Student Maci Chesser, a junior majoring in education, said the new bus service is essential for students and helps them save both money and time. “It helps us focus on learning, which is what we are all here for,” she said.