Okay, I admit I couldn't think of a "V" word I hadn't written about in the last three A-to-Z Blogging Challenges. Bob suggested I write about Via, our transit system in San Antonio. First I thought, no way, who would care about that. When I got to thinking about it, it made sense to cover the subject, being that it has to do with travel. Travel is what I love. So, here is your tutorial on Via, San Antonio's transit system.
One-way fare is $1.20 for adults, $0.60 for seniors (with a free pass) and youth. A transfer good for two hours is an additional $0.15. A $4 Day Pass is also available for unlimited rides on all regular buses and streetcars for the day indicated on the pass.
The bus picks picks up passengers directly across the street from our RV park and drops them off downtown close to the Alamo and River Walk about 15-20 minutes later. When they are finished downtown they can catch the bus back to the RV park. Bus Route 42 which picks up at the RV park runs about every half hour, seven days per week.
Once downtown, you can transfer to streetcars which go to many of the downtown sites, or Route 7 the Sightseer. The Sightseer Route goes to the Sunken Garden at Brackenridge Park, the San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio Art Museum, and San Antonio Botanical Gardens.
If you want to walk or ride your bike downtown, you can catch the bus back. Via buses are equipped with bike racks on the front of their buses.
It should be noted that parking in downtown San Antonio runs from $5-$10 for surface lots a few blocks from downtown, to upwards of $20 at a parking garage. Special event parking is even more expensive. For example, surface lots close to the Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) event were $30.
The bus ride south from Travelers World takes you to Mission San Jose and across the street from Walmart.
Think of all the other cities that have transit systems. If you're willing to be adventurous, take the bus. Think of all the money you will save. You can read or look around while someone else drives, save wear and tear on your vehicle, avoid driving in heavy traffic, and let someone else drive through construction areas.
Thank you so much for participating in the A to Z Challenge! You rock! Congrats on getting to the letter V! Even though it's May, if you wanted to, you could still do letters WXYZ, even all at once in one blog post. It's ok.
ReplyDeleteReminder: there will be an A to Z Reflections round on May 4th. There will be a Linky for it on the main blog, so please look for it there! Please post your reflections on the challenge, visit others, and catch up on the blogs you didn't have time to read!
Team Macha, Helping Co-Host Zalka
Maui Jungalow
Thanks! But I will finish W, X, Y, and Z individually...just a little later that April. This my fourth year and I have completed every year.
DeleteGreat tip on riding VIA. Not only is it less stressful than driving downtown San Antonio, it is much easier to let VIA do the driving while you sit back and enjoy the view. Also, it is much more secure. Several friends visiting San Antonio and parking downtown, have had their vehicles stolen. Not a happy experience for RVers.
ReplyDeleteSusan, San Antonio is on my bucket list, but we hate big city driving. Thank you to Bob for suggesting this topic!
ReplyDeleteTaking the bus is a perfect way of exploring a city or region. Your bus rates are amazingly low.
ReplyDeleteThe View from the Top of the Ladder
I think that is super cool and how many of us wouldn't even know about Via if you'd not blogged about it! I love that they are equipped with bike racks (we have a couple here in town too) and sounds like it is absolutely the best way to travel in the city!
ReplyDelete