{"id":400883,"date":"2026-08-08T04:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/400883\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:12:08","slug":"free-via-bus-pass-program-aims-to-cut-transportation-barrier-for-san-antonio-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/400883\/","title":{"rendered":"Free VIA bus pass program aims to cut transportation barrier for San Antonio students"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO \u2013 As students head back to school next week, parents across San Antonio are lining up daily plans to get kids to and from class. It\u2019s a routine that can become a major obstacle when reliable transportation is out of reach.<\/p>\n

A report from Attendance Works<\/a>, a nonprofit focused on reducing chronic absenteeism, lists transportation among the factors that can contribute to students repeatedly missing school.<\/p>\n

At Triumph Public High School, where students can take classes outside traditional school hours, students say the flexibility can also mean they have to solve their own commute.<\/p>\n

Timothy Blevins, a student at Triumph, said worries about getting to class eased when he started using the Via Student Pass.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge weight off of my chest, just like finally got lifted off,\u201d Blevins said.<\/p>\n

Before the new program, students said even the cheapest option could be difficult.<\/p>\n

VIA\u2019s regular fare is $1.30 each way. A student semester pass costs $38. Students without jobs said that can still be a strain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to worry a lot about it, like sometimes I wouldn\u2019t even have a dollar,\u201d Santana De La Cruz, also a Triumph student, said.<\/p>\n

Some students relied on rideshares instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s around like 17 to 20 bucks to at least get here,\u201d Blevins said. He said in total, it costs about $30-$40 per day.<\/p>\n

District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito said transportation is a key factor when the city looks at chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransportation is so important, and when we see the issue that we have in San Antonio of chronic absenteeism. \u2026 We know that if they\u2019re not in school, they\u2019re not set up to succeed later on,\u201d Alderete Gavito said.<\/p>\n

Her office partnered with VIA to offer free annual bus passes for students ages 12 to 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is open to all students, whether it\u2019s public school, charter school, private school,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Alderete Gavito said the passes are meant to help students get to school consistently, while also supporting transportation needs beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can also use this for summer jobs that they have, internships,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

How to register<\/p>\n

Students can register for the free pass through VIA\u2019s student passes website<\/a>. Students who are 12 will need a parent or guardian to submit the application.<\/p>\n

\u201cDistrict 7 backed the initiative with a $150,000 investment to fund passes, allowing VIA to establish the program,\u201d Alderete Gavito\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

The pass will be valid through July 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me worry less about the money,\u201d De La Cruz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo spending money on Ubers, trust me, that\u2019s a lot of cash to spend,\u201d Blevins said.<\/p>\n

The student pass is also available for students who have access to public transportation but may want a backup option.<\/p>\n

Two local school districts, North East ISD and San Antonio ISD, reported between 19% and 36% of their student populations were chronically absent in the most recent school year.<\/p>\n

NEISD reports 11,554 students were chronically absent out of 58,487 students (19.8%) in the 2025-2026 school year. In the same time frame, SAISD reports 15,607 students were chronically absent out of their 42,385 students (36.8%).<\/p>\n

The goal, Alderete Gavito said, is to remove transportation as a barrier for students who are trying to get an education.<\/p>\n

Read also:<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 As students head back to school next week, parents across San Antonio are lining up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[43474,3084,163,6527,82,84,83,840,21310],"class_list":["post-400883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-back-to-school","tag-city-hall","tag-education","tag-ksatkids","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-transportation","tag-via-metropolitan-transit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}