VIA advances San Antonio’s green transit options with new electric buses

Credit: VIA Metropolitan Transit

VIA Metropolitan Transit has announced that it has rolled out its new ARC electric buses – on four routes (two pairs) on 5 June 2023, as part of its continuous commitment to deliver cleaner, greener transit options for San Antonio.

Passengers on Route 2 Blanco Frequent (paired with Route 34 South St. Mary’s Frequent) and Route 14 Perrin Beitel Skip (paired with Route 44 Pleasanton) had been the first to experience riding the 40-foot buses, which featured zero tailpipe emissions and numerous amenities.

VIA’s ARC electric buses’ features include an approximate range of 150 miles per charge, seating for up to 38 passengers, ambient lighting to reduce glare and USB charging ports at every seat.

VIA had procured a total of eight electric buses with assistance from a federal grant award and had received the delivery in December 2022. The eight ARC buses have been rotated on the two current route pairs, and data collected from vehicle performance has been analysed to determine future routes and maximise utilisation.

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The addition of the ARC buses – named for the electric discharge with the highest current density across a gap in a circuit – expanded VIA’s sustainable vehicle profile, which includes nearly 500 buses fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG) at one of North America’s largest CNG fuelling stations, run by VIA.

“The addition of new all-electric buses keeps VIA moving in the right direction with green technologies that are advancing to a point that makes them practical as well as sustainable,” President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt said. “VIA’s CNG fleet conversion delivered up to a 97% reduction of harmful emissions from the vehicles they replaced and put us on the road to a cleaner, greener future.”

Part of the electric bus project included the construction of a charging area for the eight new buses. In early 2023, a covered 12-bay docking area had been completed and currently houses four charging stations capable of charging two buses each.