A celebration was held at La Villita downtown on Thursday to draw attention to the expansion of the VIA Link service area around downtown.
The Little Runner and VIA vans have been picking up and dropping off downtown passengers for short trips within the core of the city for several weeks.
The pilot launch of the Little Runner served 10,000 passengers in just a six-month period.
Centro San Antonio, which has the goal of making downtown a more welcoming place, said it's been such a hit that nearby areas wanted the service too.
Trish DeBerry, Centro's CEO, explained that there "was huge demand once they saw the vehicles. 'We want it in Southtown. We want it in River North. We want in in Pearl.' So, obviously partnering with VIA, we're able to expand the service," she said.
Jon Gary Herrera becomes the next president and CEO of VIA in a month. He said unlike VIA's large buses, the Little Runner and smaller vans can meet passengers in about 10 minutes and come within 150 feet of them.
"This vehicle is actually meeting you, coming to where you are. It additionally is going to take you to a more customized location that typically a bus wouldn't," he said.
It's only a $1.30 per ride on the VIA Link Service. It operates every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Prospective customers can book a ride through the VIA app or online at viainfo.net.
