SAN ANTONIO – With gas prices so high, I wanted to see if taking the bus to work was actually realistic.
VIA Metropolitan Transit recently announced they have increased the number of their bus drivers to the highest number ever — 900 — to reduce bus stop wait times.
I wanted to put VIA to the test.
I live about 5 miles from KSAT, and driving usually takes me about 10 to 12 minutes.
To start the trip, I downloaded the VIA app, loaded $10 onto my account and bought a $2.75 day pass.
The nearest bus stop to my house is about half a mile away, which meant starting the morning with about a 15-minute walk.
The timing ended up working out almost perfectly — I waited less than two minutes before the bus arrived.
Once I got on, it was clear I was a first-time rider. I had to figure out where to find my ticket in the app before taking a seat in the back of the bus.
As the ride started, I began counting stops and realized there could be as many as 37 stops between my neighborhood and work.
Still, the trip was a lot more relaxing than I expected.
There were no highways, no traffic jams and no frustration from being behind the wheel. Instead, I had time to decompress, look out the window and take in parts of the city I would normally speed past in a car.
The bus was clean, air-conditioned and not crowded.
The digital boards inside the bus were also helpful, showing each stop and providing time updates along the way.
Riding through areas like Austin Highway, Broadway and St. Mary’s gave me a different view of the city than I normally get during my morning commute.
And yes, pulling the stop request cord for the first time was surprisingly satisfying.
The actual bus ride took about 33 minutes.
By the time I factored in the walk to the bus stop and the short wait for the bus to arrive, the full trip to KSAT took about 49 minutes.
That is much longer than driving.
But it was also cheaper, less stressful and easier than I expected.
For someone trying to save money on gas, it may be more realistic than you think.
Read also:
Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
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