In an effort to combat chronic absenteeism, VIA bus fares will be covered for students between the ages of 12 to 18 under a new pilot program.
On Monday, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito announced a program that would pay for student VIA Metropolitan Transit bus fares starting in January.
“In some districts, nearly 4 in 10 high school students miss more than 10% of the year,” Gavito said. “Transportation is one of the top barriers preventing students from getting to school. When students can’t get to school, they fall behind.”
VIA currently offers a semester pass for $28.50 that allows students to ride as much as they want. CEO Jon Gary Herrera said that District 7’s contribution of $150,000 will underwrite semester passes for more than 5,200 students in 2026.
“That investment in what we can become as a community is what we’re talking about today,” Herrera said. “I’m so proud… to see [Councilwoman Gavito] take this program and put some money behind it and invest in our future.”
Real estate developer David Adelman, who previously sat on VIA’s Innovative Services Advisory Group, said that the initiative would allow families to send their children to any school they wanted in San Antonio.
“I look forward to a day where we can have a city where transit works and is more functional for families,” he said. “In order to do that, we need programs like this that get people involved in public transit.”
Gavito said she hopes others will contribute funds for the program. “This is important because San Antonio needs to invest in its young people,” she said.