San Antonio council green-lights $150,000 pilot to provide VIA bus semester passes for students

The San Antonio City Council on Jan. 15 approved an ordinance authorizing a financing agreement with VIA Metropolitan Transit to provide semester bus passes for students, funded with up to $150,000 from the city’s general fund for fiscal 2026.

Supporters — including school officials, nonprofit leaders, parents and students who spoke during the public-comment period — said transportation is a major barrier to regular school attendance and argued the small pilot could remove one obstacle to lowering chronic absenteeism. "Transportation is a barrier," said Dalia Contreras, who identified herself as a resident and mentor, urging the council to vote for item 31 because passes would help families keep students in class.

The ordinance was introduced in the consent agenda as a pilot program aimed at middle- and high-school students. Jack M. Finger summarized the item for the council, saying the measure authorizes a financing agreement between the city and VIA for passes intended to combat chronic absenteeism. City staff told the council the $150,000 would come from the general fund and that VIA already operates discounted student fare programs; the pilot would expand access with semester passes.

School-district and charter leaders provided local context during public comment. Dayan Fernández, identified as a district executive, said chronic absenteeism is defined locally as about 18 days (roughly 10 percent) and estimated the initiative could reach about 1,000 students. Several nonprofit and education providers cited surveys and local data showing transportation among the top reasons families give for missed school days.

Student speakers and parents gave personal accounts of multi-transfer commutes, daily out-of-pocket fares and families who cannot afford semester passes. "VIA is the only option for me sometimes," said student James Ward, who described an eight-mile commute and lack of family vehicle access.

Councilmembers did not separate item 31 for an individual vote; it was part of the consent agenda the council approved after public comment. The motion to approve the consent agenda passed without recorded roll-call tallies in the public transcript.

The pilot’s next steps include program setup with VIA and local school partners, tracking usage and attendance metrics the staff said they would report to the Committee on Educational Opportunities. Councilmembers asked staff to return with measurable metrics to evaluate the program’s impact on attendance and related student outcomes.

The council moved on to other business after approving the consent agenda; the pilot program is now authorized and implementation details were left to city staff and VIA.