VIA Metropolitan Transit’s board will not get on the bus for free fare. They shut down, for now, a push to test zero cost bus service in San Antonio, rejecting a proposal championed by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and several City Council members.
The board voted 10-0, with one member absent, to halt any further analysis or development of fare-free transit and instead focus on VIA’s existing service and expansion plans. The decision effectively ends the latest effort to launch a six-month pilot on the agency’s five busiest routes.
On "The Source," District 6 Councilmember Ric Galvan said the vote leaves no immediate path forward. “I don’t see a specific pathway forward in developing a program at this time,” he said. Galvan added that the idea had never fully advanced through City Hall because supporters could not secure enough council signatures to formally move it. “So it was all simply an idea at that point,” he said.
Supporters of fare-free transit say the concept could ease the burden on working-class residents who depend on buses to get to jobs, school, food and health care. Galvan said his goal has been to remove transportation barriers, but he also acknowledged VIA’s concerns should not be dismissed. “I don’t think it’s helpful to discount those,” he said, referring to concerns raised by transit officials and bus operators about cost, safety and implementation.
VIA said fares generate about $18 million a year, roughly 5% of its budget. Agency officials warned that eliminating fares would not only erase that revenue but also increase operating costs by requiring more buses and drivers.
They also said financial strain could affect debt obligations and potentially complicate federal funding tied to the Green and Silver rapid transit lines.
Even so, Galvan argued the idea may not be permanently dead. He said the city had sought “a longer runway” to study how other systems have handled fare-free transit and what worker, operational and funding needs would have to be addressed locally. “I’m hopeful that one day we can still reevaluate those possibilities,” he said.
In the meantime, VIA board members say they would rather expand reduced-fare programs than eliminate fares altogether.
Guest:
Ric Galvan is a San Antonio City Council member for District 6
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Monday through Thursday from 12-1 p.m.
Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.
This episode was recorded on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at noon.
