{"id":596322,"date":"2026-02-17T12:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/596322\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:38:10","slug":"mayor-jones-requests-plan-for-free-via","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/596322\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Jones requests plan for free VIA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up for TPR Today<\/a>, Texas Public Radio’s newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.<\/p>\n

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is asking VIA Metropolitan Transit to map out how the agency would test free bus rides on its busiest routes, a move supporters say could ease transportation burdens for working-class residents. But there are practical questions about how to replace lost fare revenue and manage expected increased ridership demand.<\/p>\n

In a letter dated Feb. 16, Jones asked VIA President and CEO Jon Gary Herrera to provide a written plan for a six-month pilot program offering fare-free rides on the agency\u2019s top five most-used routes \u2014 lines that Jones said represent about a quarter of VIA\u2019s ridership.<\/p>\n

The mayor requested that VIA deliver the written proposal by March 11. In the letter, Jones also referenced a VIA update given to the mayor and City Council on Feb. 11 and asked that the pilot be structured so it could begin July 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 letter asks VIA to spell out its \u201ctop five concerns\u201d about implementing the pilot and to propose ways to mitigate those concerns. She also directed VIA to include options for how to offset the revenue impact of fare-free service.<\/p>\n

Jones wrote that it is her understanding that fares make up roughly 5% of VIA\u2019s operating budget and asked for three potential offset options. She also asked VIA to provide three options for a scenario in which the agency would only need to offset 3% of its operating budget.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 letter proposes that the city council approve VIA receiving Telecom Tax revenues under the 3% scenario. She also wrote that proposed offsets should not affect progress or operational timelines for VIA\u2019s Green or Silver Lines, two major rapid transit initiatives that have been part of the region\u2019s broader mobility planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has long been interest in moving to a fare-free system,\u201d Jones said in a statement provided with the announcement. She credited the \u201cleadership and advocacy\u201d of councilmembers Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and Ric Galvan for pushing the discussion forward.<\/p>\n

She said a pilot could help \u201cour most cost-burdened neighbors with their transportation needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones also emphasized that transit workers and the local Amalgamated Transit Union chapter would be key stakeholders as the city weighs rider needs, workplace conditions and public safety.<\/p>\n

Free-fare supporters on the council have framed the policy push as an equity measure and also a potential tool to address road congestion.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal with fare-free ridership has always been to remove transportation barriers for our working-class families,\u201d Galvan said, adding that he and others have spent the past three months elevating the debate and highlighting potential benefits.<\/p>\n

McKee-Rodriguez pointed to worsening traffic and said fare-free transit is among the \u201ctools at our disposal\u201d to improve ridership and connect residents to food, health care and jobs.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Edward Mungia called public transportation \u201ca fundamental public good\u201d and said fares can be a significant barrier to employment, education and basic services.<\/p>\n

Other cities have tried fare-free service in different ways. Some have adopted systemwide free buses and others have implemented targeted route-by-route no cost ridership.<\/p>\n

The outcome has been consistent with increased ridership, especially among lower-income riders. But the long-term question becomes how to sustainably replace fare revenue and manage crowding and service quality.<\/p>\n

Kansas City made buses fare-free in 2020. A University of Kansas analysis found the policy attracted new riders and increased overall use. But Kansas City\u2019s experience also shows the obvious downside of fare-free service: when budgets tighten, service suffers. After more than five years of free service,\u00a0RideKC in Kansas City will reinstate a $2.00 fare for all buses starting June 1 due to budget constraints.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio’s newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":596323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,7202,7203,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-596322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-america","tag-san-antonio","tag-sanantonio","tag-texas","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116086014361272881","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}