VIA wants 1/8-cent sales tax, too

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – Just hours after the San Antonio City Council voted Thursday  to place a 1/8-cent sales tax for workforce development on the November ballot, VIA Metropolitan Transit board passed its own sales tax initiative.

If approved in November, San Antonio would use money from the 1/8 cent sales tax for four years to fund job training and college initiatives.
VIA is hoping area residents will approve their proposal to use the 1/8 cent sales tax to support public transportation, starting in 2026.

“I’m proud to be part of the team who will bring this decision to the voters in November,” Board Chair Hope Andrade said. “With their support, we can help deliver dramatic improvements not only to the transit and mobility systems that keep San Antonio moving but to the lives of the now over 2 million residents—and counting—who live and work here, and rely on us to move people, every day.”

The sales tax, which is expected to generate $38.5 million annually, would fund VIA’s Keep SA Moving plan which includes the following:

• Rebalancing the System by strengthening core service, dedicating resources for fixed route service where there is the most need, and expanding on-demand, weekend, and late-night response services.
• Expanding Mobility Options through partnerships for innovative services such as the successful Mobility on Demand project (VIA Link), car-share, bike-share, ride-share and accessible services that add more options for workforce, elderly, and persons with disabilities.
• Expanded Technology and Capital Improvements by investing in and leveraging innovative solutions, updating the VIA integrated app, and making Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) plans shovel ready.

VIA President and CEO Jeffrey Arndt called Thursday’s action the highlight of his career.

“Public transit is a lifeline for those who rely on VIA and the bridge our city needs to drive economic recovery and growth,” Arndt said. “Today, we took the first step across that bridge, toward more equitable access to opportunity, and a more prosperous future for San Antonians.”

Voters will have the final say November 3.