* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] OKAY. GOOD EVENING [ATD 1. Call to Order] EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR BEARING WITH US. IT IS 5:06 PM UH, GOOD EVENING. I'M BOARD CHAIR LAURA CABELLA. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD AND CALL TO ORDER THIS SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2026 A TD BOARD MEETING. LET'S GO AHEAD AND BEGIN WITH ROLL CALL VICE CHAIR GOMEZ PRESENT. SECRETARY MALONE. PRESENT, ASSISTANT SECRETARY COOPER. PRESENT. TRUSTEE FLORES? PRESENT. TRUSTEE UL. PRESENT. TRUSTEE REYNA. PRESENT. TRUSTEE DELEON. PRESENT. TRUSTEE HOWARD? PRESENT. TRUSTEE FERNANDEZ. PRESENT. TRUSTEE RETE. PRESENT. YOU GOT A FULL HOUSE. THAT'S GREAT. ALL RIGHT. UM, MOMENT OF REFLECTION AND [ATD 2. Moment of Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, Announcements] OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE STAND. OKAY IF I STAND UP, I'M GONNA FALL TODAY. OKAY. THAT'S OKAY. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. REPUBLIC. REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE. LIBERTY WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL TEXAS. FLAG. ALL ALLEGIANCE TO BE TEXAS. ONE STATE UNDER GOD. ONE INDIVISIBLE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? NO ANNOUNCEMENTS. MADAM CHAIR. VERY GOOD. UH, CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. OKAY. UH, BOARD, WE'RE NOW ON CONSENT. [ATD 4. Consent Agenda] AGENDA. THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. SO MOVED. SECOND, WE HAVE MOTION. AND SECOND ALL PLEASE. UH, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED, NAY. THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. MS. ELDER, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO MA'AM. NO LEGAL BRIEFING. VERY GOOD. TRUSTEES, WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND ADJOURN THE MEETING PLEASE? MOTION. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES THE A TD MEETING AS ADJOURNED. WE'LL NOW MOVE ON [1. Call to Order ] TO THE VIA MEETING. ALL RIGHT. IT IS NOW 5:08 PM AND I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THIS. SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2026 VIA BOARD MEETING. UH, ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? NO ANNOUNCEMENTS. OKAY. CITIZENS TO BE [3. Citizens to be Heard ] HEARD? YES. WE HAVE SEVEN CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. VERY GOOD. WE HAVE NOW COME TO THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR PUBLIC MEETING. THE BOARD IS INTERESTED IN HEARING THE COMMENTS AND CONCERNS FROM OUR PATRONS AND CITIZENS IN THE SAN ANTONIO BEAR COUNTY AREA. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS CONCERNING PUBLIC BUSINESS OR POLICY OVER WHICH THE BOARD HAS SUPERVISION AND CONTROL MAY BE ADDRESSED AT A LATER DATE BY THE PRESIDENT, CEO AND OR HIS STAFF. THIS PROCESS ASSURES THAT YOU RECEIVE THE MOST ACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION OR CONCERN. THANK YOU. AND VIA APPRECIATES YOU TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH US. WITH US THIS EVENING. OUR FIRST CITIZEN TO BE HEARD IS BARBARA STOCK RIGHT HERE. OKAY. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. A REASON WHY I'M HERE IS BECAUSE WE HAD AN INCIDENT WITH, UH, FIESTA TEXAS. BUT YOU OH, OKAY. BUT ALL OF YOU CLEARED THAT UP. AS OF NOW DUE TO JOY FRANKLIN. SHE DID ANOTHER GOOD JOB THE OTHER DAY. WE HAD AN EVENT AND MANY OF THE BUSES DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO GO 'CAUSE IT'S A DIFFERENT PLACE THEY'VE EVER BEEN TO. SO SHE DID A VERY, VERY GOOD JOB. WE APPRECIATE THAT. I WANNA SAY THAT I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE EFFORT THAT YOU TRY TO HEAR WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US, NOT JUST AS A CONSUMER, BUT WHEN WE ARE AN ADVOCATE AND WE GO OUT AND WE TELL PEOPLE HOW VIA TRANS WORKS AND HOW GOOD OF A PROGRAM IT IS. I WANT YOU TO KNOW SOMETHING. NEWS FOUR FINALLY CAME OUT TO TELL ABOUT VIA TRANS HAPPENING AND UNIVERSAL AND, UH, CONVERSE AND KIRBY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW IT, DID ANY OF YOU SEE IT? AND I SUPPORT THAT THEY SHOULD BE NOT TAKEN OUT. I HAVE TOLD SO MANY PEOPLE THAT, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT. I HOPE I DON'T GET IN TROUBLE FOR THAT, BUT I REALLY DO FEEL A LOT OF PEOPLE OR EVEN A DRIVER TOLD ME I DID NOT KNOW. AND SHE LIVES IN CONVERSE. SO THAT MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT THAT. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. UH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO, . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ELIZABETH CHANCEY. [00:05:05] HEY MIKE. KEEP GOING PAST ME. OKAY. JUST GO PAST, KEEP GOING. OKAY. OKAY. IF I WALK FAST, I GO STRAIGHT. HI, IT'S ELIZABETH CHENEY. UM, I WAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW WHO I NEEDED TO CONTACT ABOUT. ON SEPTEMBER 13TH, I, UH, UH, PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 13TH, I HAD BOOKED A RIDE TO GO TO CHURCH, WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND MY HUSBAND, UM, WITH VIA PARATRANSIT. AND, UH, OUR PICKUP WAS TO BE AT EIGHT 30. UM, AND WE WAITED AND THEY ALWAYS SAY TO WAIT 20 MINUTES AFTER THE WINDOW TIME. BUT I CALLED BECAUSE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE AT NINE 11. AT NINE 11 IN THE MORNING. UM, AT AND I CALLED AND THEY SAID, JUST BE PATIENT AND WAIT AND CALL US BACK IN 20 MINUTES IF IT HASN'T SHOWN UP. SO I CALLED BACK AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A, UH, VIA TAXI THAT THEY WAS ASSIGNED TO IT. UH, NO VIA TAXI ARRIVED AT 9 31. I CALLED BACK AND THEY SAID THAT SOMEHOW THE VIA TAXI, IT WAS NEVER, UM, I GUESS NOBODY PICKED UP THE RIDE. SO AT 9 45 I WAS TRYING TO GET AN UBER. UM, IN THIS CASE I HAD A RIDE ARRANGED AHEAD OF TIME, SEVERAL DAYS AHEAD, AND I END UP HAVING TO CANCEL MY PICKUP BECAUSE OF COURSE I'M NOT AT CHURCH. UM, IN THOSE CASES, I MEAN, WHO DO I CONTACT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED? UM, OR WHAT CAN BE DONE SO THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN? I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND IF, IF THE DRIVER IS LATE, BECAUSE THAT HAPPENS, TRAFFIC HAPPENS. UM, ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. BUT IN THIS CASE, SHE SAID THERE WAS NO DRIVER TO MY RIDE. AND THEN WHEN I CHECKED BACK LATER, 'CAUSE I TOOK SCREENING SHOTS JUST TO SHOW THE TIME YOU CAN SEE IT, I CAN'T. BUT YOU KNOW, I HAVE IT ON MY PHONE. UM, WHEN I CHECKED BACK LATER IT READ THAT I CANCELED IT. I DID NOT CANCEL THE RIDE AND NEVER SHOWED UP AND IT WAS NOT ASSIGNED TO ANYBODY. I DID CANCEL THE RIDE BACK FROM CHURCH. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WHAT DO I DO IN THAT CASE? I MEAN, I, WHO DO I SPEAK TO ABOUT HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T FALL INTO THE CRACKS? 'CAUSE IF I WOULD'VE BEEN TOLD EARLIER, I COULD HAVE MADE PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS OR I COULD HAVE CALLED A FRIEND WHO GOES TO CHURCH WITH US. THANK YOU. SOMEBODY WILL TALK TO YOU. YES, THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BE CHRISTINE GAGE, YOU NEED HELP BACK. OH, THANKS. I APPRECIATE. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREETINGS EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS MARIE CHRISTINE GAGE AND MY CONCERN REGARDING VIA BUS ROUTES IS ABOUT THE 5 0 3 BUS ROUTE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE 5 0 3 BUS ROUTE REINSTATED. THE REASON BEING IS THAT I'M A BUSY PERSON. I COMMUTE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, SOMETIMES THROUGH THE STONE OAK AREA AND THE OLD 5 0 3 BUS ROUTE BEFORE THE CHANGE. IT GOT ME THERE WITHIN MINUTES, WHICH WAS FINE. BUT NOW AFTER THE CHANGE, I HAVE TO GO UP AND DOWN STONE OAK PARKWAY WITH A 6 49 BUS ROUTE. AND I HAVE TO WAIT AN ADDITIONAL 35 TO 50 MINUTES TO GO UP AND DOWN ONE ROAD. NOW I AM NO BOARD OF DIRECTORS. I HOLD NO OFFICIAL RANK, NOT A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL FIRST LADY. BUT I DON'T THINK I NEED TO BE ON THE BOARD OR HOLD AN OFFICIAL TITLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WAITING ALMOST AN HOUR OR HALF AN HOUR TO GO UP AND DOWN ONE ROAD IS NONSENSICAL. I HOPE THAT MY GRIEVANCES ARE HEARD AND I HOPE THAT THIS REACHES THE EARS OF THE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN HERE PRESENT TO HOPEFULLY FIX THIS ISSUE. AND MAYBE [00:10:01] TAKE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE 96TH ROUTE. THE 96TH ROUTE NOW GOES AROUND 30 OR SO MINUTES EVERY SINGLE TIME. AND I FEEL AS IF THAT COULD BE REPLICATED WITH THE OLD 5 0 3 BUS ROUTE. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIT LIKE 30 MINUTES EVERY SINGLE ROTATION RATHER THAN JUST HAVING A 6 49, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY TAKES A VERY LONG TIME AND WAITING IN THE HEAT, ESPECIALLY THE TEXAS HEAT. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT ANYONE, ANY AUDIENCE COULD BEAR WITH ME THAT THIS HEAT IS VERY , NOT SO WELCOMING AND NOT SO NICE TO WAIT AROUND. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR HEARING MY GRIEVANCES AND I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY DAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RICARDO VALDEZ. GOOD EVENING CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS RICARDO VALEZ. I'M A SAN ANTONIO RESIDENT LIVING IN ALMOST PARK TERRACE. I'M A PROPERTY OWNER AND I'M SPEAKING ON ABOUT THE GREEN LINE DESIGN. ALONG SAN PEDRO AVENUE, I SUPPORT BETTER PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, BUT THE DESIGN M ALSO PROTECTS PUBLIC SAFETY, TRAFFIC SAFETY, NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS, AND SURROUNDING BUSINESSES. AFTER REVIEWING THE GREEN LINE WEBSITE AND LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE, I HAVE NOT FOUND A PUBLIC ANALYSIS THAT DIRECTLY ANSWERS FOUR IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. FIRST, FROM HILDE BROWN AVENUE TOWARDS DOWNTOWN, IN THE PORTIONS WHERE REGULAR VEHICLES WILL BE LIMITED TO ONLY ONE SIDE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A DRIVER NEEDS TO TURN ONE VEHICLE SLOWING DOWN OR WAITING TO TURN INTO A BUSINESS OR SIDE STREET MAY BLOCK THE ONLY REGULAR TRAFFIC LINE. IF A DIRECT LEFT TURN IS UNAVAILABLE, DRIVERS MAY BE FORCED TO CONTINUE INTO AND ENTER A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD AND DO AN ENTIRE BLOCK AROUND. WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY EXPLANATION REGARDING THOSE ACCESSES IN THAT PORTION. SECOND, BETWEEN BASSEY ROAD AND ALMOST DRIVE THE DESIGN PLACES, GREEN LINE BUSES IN THE CENTER LANES AND REGULAR VEHICLES IN THE OUTSIDE LANES, THE COMMUNITY NEEDS A CLEAR INTERSECTION BY INTERSECTION MAP SHOWING WHERE VEHICLES CAN TURN, WHERE THEY WILL WAIT, WHICH BUSINESSES AND STREETS WILL RETAIN DIRECT ACCESS, ACCESS, AND WHERE DRIVERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO DETOUR. THIRD, SOME TURNS ONTO SAN PEDRO, PARTICULARLY AROUND ALMOS DRIVE, ARE ALREADY EXTREMELY TIGHT. HOW WILL VEHICLES ENTER A SINGLE OUTSIDE LANE WITHOUT A STRIKING A CURB OR CROSSING INTO OPPOSING TRAFFIC? THE COMMUNITY NEEDS AN ACTUAL VEHICLE TURNING ANALYSIS AT THESE INTERSECTIONS. FINALLY, RESIDENTS LIVING ALMOST PARK TERRACE ALREADY FACE DANGEROUS CONDITION WHEN CROSSING OR TURNING LEFT ONTO, ONTO CUL ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC COULD MAKE THOSE EXITS CONSIDERABLY MORE DANGEROUS. MCCULLOUGH BETWEEN BUSI AND LUKE FOUR 10 ALSO HAS AN EXTREMELY UNEVEN PAVE AND NARROW LANES. IT IS NOT PREPARED TO BECOME A MAJOR ALTERNATIVE ROUTE TO SAN PEDRO. THE COMMUNITY NEEDS VIA TO PUBLISH AN INTERSECTION BY INTERSECTION TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ANALYSIS, IDENTIFY CORRECTING MEASURES AND PROVIDE A REGION RESPONSE BEFORE THESE CONDITIONS BECOME PERMANENT. IMPROVED PUBLIC TRANSIT SHOULD NOT CREATE PREVENTABLE RISK FOR SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUSINESSES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTOPHER FARLEY. THIS ON GOOD AFTERNOON. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN? SINCE MY LAST BOARD MEETING, WHICH I ATTENDED A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR AGO ON AUGUST 26TH, 2025, I RECENTLY MOVED FROM THE ICAHN APARTMENTS ON PATRICIA TO FLAT ON WAKEFIELD, WHICH IS LOCATED NEAR NORTH STAR MALL AND BEHIND SEA ISLAND. ALSO. SINCE THEN, I HAVE SUFFERED TWO DEATHS ON MY SIDE OF THE FAMILY. UH, THIS PAST MARCH 7TH, 2026, I, MY SISTER RANDY L. BOOKER HAD PASSED AWAY FROM A BRAIN ANEURYSM AT JUST 41 YEARS OLD. UM, THEN ON THIS PAST 4TH OF JULY, UM, ONE OF MY REMAINING SISTERS ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE HAD TRIED TO CONTACT ME. AND WHEN I RETURNED HER CALL BACK, UH, AFTER I GOT OFF MY WORK ON NORTHEAST LEPORT [00:15:01] PARABA, I FOUND THAT ONE OF MY AUNTS WHO HAD BEEN LIVING IN THE NORTHWEST LOUISIANA SHREVEPORT, HAD PASSED AWAY. UH, A YEAR AGO, THIS PAST JULY, I RODE THE TRAIN FROM HERE AND BACK TO NEW ORLEANS FOR OUR FIRST EVER FAMILY REUNION. HER, MY AUNT'S NAME WAS JACQUELINE P MANUEL. UM, WE ATTENDED OUR FIRST EVER, IT WAS OUR FIRST EVER FAMILY REUNION AND WE HAD A CHANCE TO SEE EACH OTHER FACE TO FACE AND IN PERSON. FOR WHAT NOW WAS THE FINAL TIME SHE WOULD CELEBRATE HER 79TH BIRTHDAY LAST MONTH ON AUGUST THE 19TH. UH, WHEN I FIRST HEARD THAT MY SISTER HAD PASSED AWAY, IT GOT ME THINKING THAT SHE WOULD NOT BE AROUND FOR THIS PAST MOTHER'S DAY BECAUSE SHE LEFT BEHIND A DAUGHTER AND THAT SHE WAS NOT GOING TO. AND WHEN I HAD FOUND OUT THAT MY AUNT WHO HAD PASSED AWAY, SHE WAS NOT GOING TO BE AROUND TO CELEBRATE GRANDPARENTS' DAY, WHICH IS SINCE IT'S COME AND GONE NOW, AND IT WILL BE A DIFFICULT HOLIDAY SEASON COMING UP FOR MY FAMILY AND ME. IN CLOSING, I ALSO WOULD LOVE TO EXTEND MY CONDOLENCES ON ONE OF YOUR OWN IN THE LOSS OF RANDY SCHWARTZ. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NEXT SPEAKER, KEVIN LAMEL. GOOD EVENING BOARD. UM, I, I KNOW CHANGE IS GOOD. SOME PEOPLE CAN'T ACCEPT CHANGE, BUT I LIKE TO CHANGE WHAT YOU'RE DOING ON IT VIA TRANCE. AND THE THING I WANT, I WANT TO ASK A QUESTION, IS THAT WHEN YOU USE YOUR GIFT CARD, CAN CAN, IT CAN LIKE THE LAST, UH, GIFT CARD. CARD, THE GO CARD, LEMME TELL ABOUT TIME. THE GO CARD, IT GIVE YOU A BALANCE, BUT, BUT THE BLUE CARD, IT DOESN'T, IT JUST, IT RINGS WITH A GREEN LIGHT. LIKE, UH, IS THAT GONNA BE IN THE FUTURE TO, UH, WHEN YOU USE YOUR UH, GO CARD, IT'LL GIVE YOU YOUR BALANCE. THAT WAS MY QUESTION. SOMEBODY WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU OKAY. RIGHT AFTER THIS MEETING? YES. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS WILLIE MAY CLAY, YOU WANNA GO UP HERE? YOU WANNA SPEAK RIGHT HERE OR, THANK YOU SIR. YES MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON. I MUST SAY THAT IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AGAIN ONE DAY AT A TIME. YOU FILL OUT THE REST. I'M HERE TODAY TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND HOPEFULLY INFORM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SITTING BEHIND ME OF THREE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN OF SOME MAJOR CONCERNS THAT I'VE HAD. ONE, THE FIRST PART OF THE, THE FIRST PART OF SEPTEMBER I WAS WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS AND THE, THE MAYOR FROM CONVERSE INDICATED THAT THERE WOULD BE A RECOMMENDATION OR PLANS TO PUT, UH, VIA ON ITS BALLOT FOR THE NOVEMBER 30 ELECTION. ALL WAS FELL OUT OF MY LIFT CHAIR. OH MY GOODNESS. I SAID TO MYSELF, I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT TO WALMART. BUT THEN I ALSO THOUGHT ABOUT THE DEVASTATION THAT IT WOULD HAVE FOR FOLKS WHO GO TO WALMART, NOT ONLY TO SHOP, BUT MANY OF THEM USE THE BUS AS SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION TO MAINTAIN EMPLOYMENT. I'VE LIVED IN THE BEAR COUNTY [00:20:01] AREA FOR THE LAST 49 YEARS AND I'VE SEEN CONVERSE GROW AND IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE IF THAT WERE TO PASS TERRIBLE. IT WOULD HAVE ECONOMIC DEVASTATION. NO MENTION OF THE HUMAN TOLL. AND I'M GONNA DO WHATEVER I CAN TO SPEAK OUT TO TELL THE FOLKS IN CONVERSE THAT IT WOULD BE A MAJOR MISTAKE TO VOTE VIA OUT. NOW I DON'T LIVE THERE SO I CAN'T VOTE. I CAN'T VOTE THERE, BUT I'LL BE VOTING. THE OTHER THING THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS THIS THING ABOUT GOING INTO MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT THIS ISSUE TO YOU AND BE AS FULLY AWARE. OH, I PUT THE MIC DOWN. OH MY GOODNESS. I'M SORRY. CAN YOU, DID I DID, DID WE MISS ANYTHING? I'M SORRY. UM, AND V IS FULLY AWARE THAT IF YOU TAKE A PERSON INTO THOSE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS PERSON WHO DOES NOT HAVE A VIA TRA WHO OH DOES NOT HAVE A MILITARY ID CARD, YOU KNOW THAT POSSIBILITY THOSE FANS WILL BE TURNED AROUND VIA, KNOWS THAT. SO VIA NEEDS TO PURPOSELY, UH, SCHEDULE THE TRIP WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL THAT'S IN THAT VEHICLE RESERVED FOR THAT TRIP. AND I'M ON. DON'T PUT ANYONE IN THAT BAND IF THAT PERSON DOESN'T HAVE A MILITARY ID. 'CAUSE YOU'RE SETTING THAT PERSON UP TO BE DISAPPOINTED. AND I'M ASKING BIA, PLEASE DON'T DO IT. YOU'VE BEEN DOING PRETTY GOOD FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN GOING TO MILITARY IN INSTALLATION, BUT ON THE 10TH V FELL SHORT AND HAD SOMEBODY IN THAT VEHICLE WITH ME. THANK YOU MA'AM. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO I DIDN'T GET TO THE THIRD ONE, BUT MAYBE I'LL BRING IT BACK NEXT TIME. THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO, THERE ARE NO OTHER CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO OTHER CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. THANK YOU MICHELLE. UH, OKAY. WE ARE ON ITEM [4. Consent Agenda] NUMBER FOUR NOW, PLEASE. UH, CONSENT AGENDA. THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM. UH, ANY QUESTIONS OR ITEMS TO BE PULLED? TRUSTEES, IF NOT MA'AM, A MOTION A SECOND TO APPROVE AS CON, UH, PRESENTED. SO MOVED MADAM CHAIR. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. NUMBER FIVE, PLEA [5. Fleet Replacement Policy / Refurbishment Policy – For information, discussion, and possible action regarding the Fleet Replacement/Refurbishment Policy. ] REPLACEMENT POLICY, UH, REFURBISHMENT POLICY. LET'S GO AHEAD AND HAVE DR. ALLWAY. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. WE'RE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING TO RECOMMEND A MODIFICATION TO THE FLEET REPLACEMENT POLICY. THE BOARD APPROVED LAST YEAR. AS THE BOARD MAY RECALL, IN AUGUST OF 2025, WE BROUGHT FORWARD A NEW POLICY FOCUSING ON REFURBISHMENT OF OUR HEAVY FLEET, BUT ALSO HAD AN ANNUAL REQUIREMENT THAT WE BRING BACK TO THE BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS ON ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THAT POLICY. WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING TONIGHT IS A RESET. UM, WE STILL WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO MIDLIFE REFURBISHMENT, BUT NOT MAKE THAT THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF OUR FLEET REPLACEMENT POLICY. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT REPLACING VEHICLES NO MORE THAN 20% PER YEAR FOR BOTH OUR BUS AND OUR PARATRANSIT FACIL, UH, FLEET. ALSO REQUIRING THAT WE MAINTAIN THE ABILITY TO DO THE PLAN PURCHASES WITH OR WITHOUT FEDERAL GRANTS STILL ADHERING TO OUR DEBT COVERAGE RATIO AND REQUIREMENTS THAT THE BOARD HAS ESTABLISHED PREVIOUSLY. AND FINALLY, CLARIFYING OUR USEFUL LIFE THRESHOLDS. SO IN THE PRIOR POLICY WITH REFURBISHMENT, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT HOLDING VEHICLES UP TO 18 YEARS. WE'RE NOW SETTING A MINIMUM FLOOR FOLLOWING FEDERAL STANDARDS. SO SAYING THAT VEHICLES [00:25:01] CAN BE NINE YEARS AND HAVE 540,000 MILES TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT. THIS AGAIN, GIVES US THE ABILITY TO HAVE A MINIMUM CRITERIA RATHER THAN SAYING IT'S A MANDATORY REPLACEMENT IF THEY HIT THE NINE YEAR MARK OR THE 540,000 MILES. THIS HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY BOTH OUR INTERIM CFO AND OUR VP OF FLEET AND FACILITIES. AND THEY RECOMMEND THIS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL. TRUSTEES, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE POLICY? NO, THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM. OH, TRUSTEE . YES. HOW'S IT GOING TO AFFECT THE BOTTOM LINE ON THEIR BUDGET PORTION? DID YOU HEAR THAT QUESTION? I'M SORRY, I HEARD THE FIRST PART. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE, HOW WILL IT AFFECT YOUR BOTTOM LINE ON WHAT IS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET? IT DOES NOT IMPACT THE PROPOSED BUDGET. WE'VE INCORPORATED THIS CONCEPT INTO IT AND SO IT GIVES US A LITTLE MORE FISCAL STABILITY, BUT IT DOESN'T INCREASE THE OVERALL BUDGET ITSELF. THANK YOU. ARE YOU GOOD? MOTION MANAGER. MOTION? SECOND. SECOND. I A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, LET'S GO [6. 2026 Board Meeting Holiday Schedule – For information, discussion and possible action regarding the proposed changes to the 2026 November and December regular Board meeting dates in consideration of holiday schedules. ] AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD TO, UH, THE BOARD MEETING. HOLIDAY SCHEDULE, BONNIE, GOOD EVENING. BONNIE PROSSER, ELDER GENERAL COUNSEL TO DISCUSS THE CHANGE OF THE NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER MEETING DATES. CHAPTER 4 51 OF THE TRANSPORTATION CODE REQUIRES THE PLACE, DATE AND TIME OF THE REGULAR MEETINGS TO BE SET BY RESOLUTION, UM, IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE STATE STATUTE AND MANAGE THE KNOWN AND LIKELY HOLIDAY CONFLICTS WHERE STAFF IS PROPOSING TO MOVE THE REGULAR, UH, MEETING. AND THE A TD MEETING DATES FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER. THE ORIGINAL DATES WOULD BE NOVEMBER 24TH AND DECEMBER 22ND. WE ARE PROPOSING TO MOVE THOSE DATES TO NOVEMBER 17TH, 2026 AND DECEMBER 15TH, 2026. PLACING THAT BEFORE THE BOARD FOR YOUR ACTION. THANK YOU BONNIE, FOR CLARIFICATION, WHEN WOULD BE OUR WORK SESSION? WORK SESSION DOES NOT REQUIRE A STATE LAW, DOES NOT REQUIRE US TO MOVE AND MODIFY THOSE MEETINGS. IT IS ONLY THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE VIA BOARD. YOU'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE ONCE A MONTH. AND SO WE WOULD ONLY MOVE THOSE DATES IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE DATES OF THOSE. UH, I DON'T HAVE A CALENDAR IN TERMS, SORRY, PROPOS NOT TO HAVE A WORK SESSION OR JUST FOR CLARIFICATION. WORK SESSION WOULD STILL LAND ON ON THAT TYPICAL SECOND TUESDAY. THE THIRD TUESDAY. UM, WE'RE JUST MOVING THE BOARD. THE BOARD DATES. OKAY. THE BOARD MEETING DATES, THEY WOULD BE THE WEEK PRIOR. VERY GOOD. UH, ANY QUESTIONS TRUSTEES MAY MOTION AND A SECONDARY PROOF? SECOND. ALL RIGHT. MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, FINANCIAL UPDATE. [7. Financial Updates – Monthly / Quarterly Financial Reports. ] DECEMBER 15TH WOULD BE MORE SECOND. GOOD EVENING BOARD. MY NAME IS AUDREY RIVERA, DIRECTOR OF OMB AND WE WILL GO OVER OUR FINANCIAL REPORT FOR AUGUST, YEAR TO DATE. AUGUST. SO A FEW FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS. UH, WE HAVE SALES TAX OF COURSE TRENDING AT 8.2% HIGHER THAN BUDGETED WITH ATD TWO TRENDING AT 37% HIGHER THAN YEAR TO DATE BUDGET. OUR INVESTMENT INCOME REMAINS FAVORABLE AT 9 MILLION OR 63% HIGHER THAN BUDGETED. OVERALL, WE EXPECT, UH, TO BE AT 30 $30.1 MILLION HIGHER THAN BUDGETED FOR REVENUE. HOWEVER, THIS OF COURSE INCLUDES THAT ONE TIME $10 MILLION FUNDING FROM COSA TO SUPPORT THAT FLEET BUS PAY ANNEX PROJECT AND EXPENSES, WE EXCEED THE YEAR TO DATE ANNUAL BUDGET, UH, DUE TO ACCELERATION OF THE BETTER BUS PLAN OPERATOR AND LABOR FRINGES ARE 14% HIGHER THAN YEAR TO DATE DUE TO THE ACCELERATION AND INCREASE OF THE OPERATOR HIRING GOAL. OUR FUEL COSTS ARE STILL TRENDING HIGHER AT 75% DUE TO C AND G PRICES, AND WE'RE PROJECTING TO END THE YEAR AT 28.2 MILLION HIGHER THAN BUDGET. WE WILL, WE ARE REQUESTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE FY 26 BUDGET DURING, UH, THE SEPTEMBER 29TH WORK SESSION OR BOARD MEETING TO ALIGN WITH THE ITEMS. MENTIONED STAFFING. OVERALL, WE'VE INCREASED THAT OPERATING HIRING GOAL FROM A HUNDRED TO 150 AS REFLECTED IN YEAR TO DATE, UH, EXPENSES AND WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVE 45 VACANCIES ACROSS THE AGENCY AT VARIOUS STAGES WITHIN THE HR PROCESS. CAPITAL PROJECTS WE'VE EXPENDED YEAR TO DATE 116.3 MILLION AND [00:30:01] FORECASTED TO BE, UH, 18% UNDER BUDGET BY YEAR END. SO AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, SALES TAX VERSUS YEAR TO DATE IS FAVORABLE WITH 22 MILLION MORE THAN BUDGET. PASSENGER REVENUE STILL REMAINS UNFAVORABLE AT 2.3 MILLION LOWER. AND AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE DISCOUNTED FARES AND PROJECTED OTHER REVENUES INCLUDE THE INVESTMENT INCOME AND THE ONE-TIME COST OF FUNDING. THIS CHART DEPICTS OUR ROLLING SALES TAX RECEIPT TRENDS FROM FY 24 THROUGH FY 26 YEAR TO DATE WITH BLUE, UH, REPRESENTING 24 AT 25 ORANGE AND GREEN. 26 A TD TWO IS IN LIGHT GREEN. OVERALL, THE BASELINE COLLECTIONS REMAIN STABLE WITH NOTABLE INCREASES IN FY 26. OF COURSE, AS WE STARTED THE A TD TWO CELLS TAX IN JANUARY AND THEN IN JUNE WE DID SEE AN INCREASE AND THAT'S MAINLY DUE TO THE NBA FINALS THAT WE HAD IN SAN ANTONIO DURING THAT PERIOD. REVIEWING OUR OPERATING EXPENSES, OF COURSE, KEY FACTORS AS MENTIONED EARLIER, ARE YEAR TO DATE INCREASES INCLUDE C AND G COSTS WITH OUR FUEL AND UTILITIES UNFAVORABLE VARIANCE OF FOUR POINT 47.4%. THE OTHER CATEGORY INCLUDES VIA RAPID GREEN LINE TEMPORARY LEASED PARCELS AND AN INCREASE IN RESERVE FOR CLAIMS THAT DRIVE THAT UNFAVORABLE VARIANCE OF 43.1% OVER THE YEAR. TO DATE BUDGET, 7.1% OF YEAR TO DATE BUDGET AND LABOR IN FRINGES, AGAIN, MAINLY DUE TO ACCELERATING OF THE HIRING OF THE BUS OPERATORS. AGAIN, WE ARE PROJECTING TO END THE YEAR AT 8.9% OVER BUDGET DUE TO ACCELERATION OF THE BETTER BUS PLAN, HIRING OF OPERATORS AND THE INCREASED FULL, UH, FUEL COSTS. AGAIN, WE'LL BE AMENDING THE BUDGET. UH, NEXT TUESDAY. YEAR TO DATE FOR CAPITAL SPEND AGAIN IS AT 116.3 MILLION WITH THE COMPLETION OF FY 26 BUCKS. PURCHASES, UH, UH, REMAINING THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH VIA RAPID PROJECTS ARE ONGOING AND WE'LL SEE UNCONTINUED SPEND THROUGH THE END OF THIS, UH, MONTH AS WELL. AND CAPITAL PLAN IS FORECASTED AGAIN AT 18.4% BELOW BUDGET LESS CONTINGENCY AND REMAINING PROJECTS WILL CONTINUE INTO FY 27. REVIEWING OUR RESTRICTED AND DISCRETIONARY FUNDS THROUGH AUGUST YEAR TO DATE, TOTAL CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENT FUNDS ARE 675.9 MILLION WITH CASH ON HAND AT 509 DAYS. OF THE 6 75 0.9 MILLION, RESTRICTED FUNDS ARE CURRENTLY AT 233.6 MILLION. THESE FUNDS, AGAIN, ARE SET ASIDE AND DESIGNATED A PURPOSE THAT LEGALLY CANNOT BE SPENT ON ANYTHING ELSE. DISCRETIONARY FUNDS TOTAL 442.3 MILLION YEAR TO DATE. AND THIS IS FUNDING THAT'S RESERVED OR SET ASIDE BASED ON BOARD POLICY OR FINANCIAL PRACTICES ARE ALLOCATED. A LOOK AT OUR YEAR TO DATE. TOTAL NET POSITION ASSETS, UH, CAPITAL ASSETS ARE INCREASED BY 65.2 MILLION TO 481.6 MILLION. AND THIS IS DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY INVESTMENT IN 16 NEW BUSES AND ONGOING CONSTRUCTION FOR THE RAPID GREEN LINE. FOR OTHER NON-CURRENT ASSETS, THEY'VE DECLINED BY 41.9 MILLION TO 233.3 MILLION DUE TO REDUCTIONS IN RESTRICTED CASH FOR RAPID GREEN UTILIZATION OF TECH STACK GRANT FUNDS. AND THEN JULY DEBT PAYMENTS PARTIALLY OFFSET BY INTEREST EARNED ON THE BEXAR COUNTY A TD CONTRIBUTIONS. LONG-TERM LIABILITIES IMPROVED BY 48.1 MILLION, DROPPING TO 398.6 MILLION. THIS DECREASED STEMS FROM LOWER NET POSITION AND OPE PAYABLES ALONGSIDE REDUCED PON BOND PAYABLES OFFSET BY AN INCREASE IN COMPENSATED ABSENCES UNDER GASB 1 0 1. OUR NET INVESTMENT IN CAPITAL ASSETS INCREASED BY 50.6 MILLION TO 345.6 MILLION. AND THAT'S REFLECTING CONTINUED CAPITAL ASSET GROWTH. OVERALL, OUR TOTAL NET POSITION DECREASED BY 2.5 MILLION YEAR OVER YEAR, COMING IN AT 735 MILLION FOR FY 26 YEAR TO DATE COMPARED TO FY 25. TAKING A LOOK AT OUR PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD, YEAR TO DATE, METRICS FOR OUR BUS PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD COLLISIONS, COMPLAINTS, MECHANICAL RELIABILITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ARE FAVORABLE. AVERAGE WEEKDAY RIDERSHIP IS UP 8% OVER LAST YEAR'S SAME TIME PERIOD AND IS ABOVE TARGET. WE ARE WITHIN TARGET FOR ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND COST EFFECTIVENESS. COST EFFECTIVENESS IS, UH, HOWEVER, THE COST FOR COST EFFECTIVENESS HAS INCREASED. AGAIN, MAINLY DUE TO OPERATOR HIRING [00:35:03] FOR OUR VIA TRANS PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD. YEAR TO DATE RESULTS INCLUDE COLLISIONS, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND COST EFFECTIVENESS AS FAVORABLE THROUGH AUGUST AVERAGE. WEEKDAY RIDERSHIP IS UP 6% FROM AUGUST FY 25 AND IS ON TARGET AND ON OUR ON TIME PERFORMANCE IS WITHIN TARGET AT 89% YEAR TO DATE. MECHANICAL RELIABILITY AND COMPLAINTS REMAIN WORSE THAN TARGET. THE TOP COMPLAINT BY PASSENGERS YEAR TO DATE IS ON TIME PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, RESULTS OF THE COMPLAINTS REVIEWED DETERMINE ABOUT 89% OF TOTAL COMPLAINTS RECEIVED. WERE EMPLOYEE NOT AT FAULT. CAN I GET A, SORRY. LET ME GET TO, I GOT IT. I GOT IT. OKAY. SO TAKING A DEEPER LOOK INTO MECHANICAL RELIABILITY, YEAR TO DATE IS UNFAVORABLE AT 9.6 MILES BETWEEN MAJOR MECHANICAL FAILURES, MAINLY DUE TO AGING FLEET. ALTHOUGH DIRECTLY OPERATED IS IN AN UPWARD TRAJECTORY, IT IS OFFSET BY OUR, UH, CONTRACTED SERVICE DECLINE. OUR ON TIME PERFORMANCE, YEAR TO DATE, AGAIN, IS RIGHT AT 89%. HOWEVER, DIRECTLY OPERATING REMAINS ABOVE TARGET SINCE JUNE, WHILE CONTRACTED SERVICE DECLINES DUE TO AN INCREASE IN SERVICE DEMAND, BOTH SAW A DECLINE IN AUGUST. AS SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION, COMPLAINTS IS MEASURED AGAINST RIDERSHIP. AND FOR AUGUST TOTAL RIDERSHIP WAS 97,814. WITH YEAR TO DATE RIDERSHIP AT 1 MILLION. OUT OF THESE TREAT TRIPS, WE'VE RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 4,000 COMPLAINTS OUT OF THE 1 MILLION PASSENGERS YEAR TO DATE. SO THIS EQUATES TO THE FOUR COMPLAINTS PER A THOUSAND CUSTOMERS THAT YOU'RE SEEING YEAR TO DATE. LOOKING AT THE TOP COMPLAINTS PER THE PER PROVIDER, UM, OUR CONTRACTED SERVICES, THE TOP THREE WERE LATE ARRIVAL OPERATOR BEHAVIOR AND ARRIVAL AT WRONG PICKUP LOCATION. DIRECTLY OPERATED SERVICE SAW AN INCREASE IN OPERATOR BEHAVIOR AS ITS TOP COMPLAINT AND RESERVATION COMPLAINTS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AS WE ROLLED OUT OUR NEW VIA TRANCE A SOFTWARE SYSTEM. AGAIN, AFTER REVIEW, 89% OF THE OVERALL COMPLAINTS WERE DEEMED EMPLOYEE NOT AT FAULT. IN REVIEW OF BOTH COMPLAINTS AND MECHANICAL RELIABILITY, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES AND HAVE ACTIVELY, UH, ADDRESSED AND HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ADDRESSING FOR COMPLAINTS. WE DO DOCUMENT AND REPORT ALL COMPLAINTS RECEIVED, REGARDLESS IF THE CAF IS DEEMED NOT ACTIONABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WE LOG ALL CUSTOMER REQUESTS, ACCOMMODATIONS OR CONCERNS AS COMPLAINTS. ON AVERAGE, ONLY 10% OF ALL COMPLAINTS RECEIVED ARE ACTIONABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, AS WE REVIEWED ON TIME PERFORMANCE COMPLAINTS, WE FOUND VIA TRANCE ARRIVED WITHIN THE SCHEDULED A 30 MINUTE PICKUP WINDOW, WHICH IS 10 MINUTES BEFORE THROUGH 20 MINUTES AFTER A SCHEDULED TIME. WE MITIGATE THESE OPPORTUNITIES BY ENSURING CUSTOMER OUTREACH FOCUSES ON TRAINING AND EDUCATING OUR CUSTOMERS ON VIA TRANCE SERVICE STANDARDS. IN ADDITION, IN FY 27, WE ARE ADDING ONE DEDICATED FTE FOR OUR VIA TREND FOR OUR CONTRACTED SERVICES TO ENSURE CONTINUED OVERSIGHT AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS ARE MET. IN ADDITION, WE'RE ADDING 13 VAN OPERATORS TO MEET SERVICE DEMAND FOR MECHANICAL RELIABILITY MEASURES. WE MA WE MEASURE MAJOR MECHANICAL FAILURES DURING REVENUE SERVICE AS DEFINED BY N-T-D-N-T-D IS A REPORTING FUNCTION THAT RECORDS THE FINANCIAL OPERATING AND ASSET CONDITIONS OF OUR TRANSIT AGENCIES. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR FAILURES, AGAIN, AS AGING FLEET, WE ALSO HAVE HAD EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND AN INCREASE IN SERVICE DEMAND, WHICH CREATES MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MAJOR MECHANICAL FAILURES. WE MITIGATE THESE OPPORTUNITIES BY ENSURING OVERSIGHT OF OUR REPLACEMENT SCHEDULES FOR VIA OWN VEHICLES TO MAINTAIN STATE OF GOOD REPAIR. AND AGAIN, AN FY 27 WILL BE ADDING A DEDICATED FTE TO ENSURE THAT CONTRACTOR OVERSIGHT AND ALIGNMENT WITH NTD STANDARDS FOR REPORTED FAILURES AND PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE. JOHN, I SEE YOU RIGHT THERE. DO YOU WANNA GO BACK AND HAVE A CONVERSATION? ARE YOU ANTICIPATING SOME QUESTIONS OVER HERE? WAS HERE, UH, THAT WAS A GREAT PERFORMANCE. SORRY TO LEAVE YOU, UH, UNATTENDED HERE. GOING THROUGH [00:40:01] THE CRAWLING UNDER THE POP WIRE. UH, NO, AS YOU COULD SEE, OUR, TOOK A DEEP DIVE INTO THE WHAT CAUSED THAT AND, UM, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR NEW SOFTWARE SYSTEM AND KIND OF WORKING THROUGH ALL THE, UM, SETUP AND COMMISSIONING. AND WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS. ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING IS ALL THE DATA THAT WE HAD IN OUR OLD SYSTEM DID NOT EFFICIENTLY TRANSFER OVER TO THE NEW SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE FIELDS ARE SET UP. SOMETHING THAT WE ARE MANUALLY FIXING EVERY DAY AND WORKING ON. UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE, UH, AS, AS, UH, AUDREY REPORTED, UH, WE'VE MADE A, A STRONG EFFORT TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN MORE DRIVERS AS OUTLINED IN OUR BUDGET. UH, AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO ADJUST SOME OF OUR SCHEDULING. SO TO MEET SOME OF OUR NEW DEMAND PEAK HOURS THAT HAVE COME UP AT THE END OF AUGUST. SO WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT THE TOOLS THAT WE PUT INTO PLACE AND THE RESOURCES WE PUT INTO PLACE, UM, ARE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. WE WATCH THIS EVERY DAY, MADAM CHAIR. UH, WE LOOK AT OUR ON TIME PERFORMANCE, WE LOOK AT OUR COMPLAINTS, UH, WE'VE DUG DEEP INTO OUR COMPLAINTS AND, UM, WE TALKED WITH, UH, MR. JOHN GARY, UH, THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO IMPROVE OUR SYSTEM AND HOW WE MEASURE THINGS. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. UH, I GUESS THE ONE QUESTION I MAYBE TWO QUESTIONS I WOULD HAVE. UM, WITH INTEGRATION OF THE APP, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE DURATION WILL TAKE? AND I KNOW IT'S MANUAL AND THAT'S A PROCESS. ARE WE THINKING IT'LL TAKE A COUPLE MORE MONTHS FOR TRANSITION OF ALL THAT DATA? HOW DOES THAT LOOK? UM, WHEN YOU SAY THE APP, YOU MEAN THE RIDE CO SOFTWARE SOFTWARE. I'M SORRY. OKAY. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. GOTCHA. UM, NO, THAT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC DEADLINE. UH, WE ARE WORKING ON IT DAILY. WE HAVE, UH, OUR INTERNAL STAFF WHO WE CAN CONTROL AND HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY OVER. UH, THEY COME IN THROUGH OUR, UH, CUSTOMER CARE DEPARTMENT. THEY'RE MAKING CHANGES AND IT'S A BACK AND FORTH. UM, SOME OF IT WE MAKE SOME CHANGES INTO THE SOFTWARE. THERE'S LITTLE THINGS THAT DON'T SIT RIGHT, UH, CAN BOUNCE THINGS AROUND. SO WE'RE KIND OF LEARNING SOME OF THE WAYS HOW TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE SOFTWARE OURSELVES. UH, BUT I, I SUSPECT, UH, WE'LL HAVE A, A STRONGER BITE OUT OF THE APPLE, UH, BY THE YEAR END. SO ULTIMATELY IT'LL PROVIDE A, A MORE SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE FOR OUR RIDERS, UM, AFTER WE WORK OUT SOME OF THOSE KINKS. YES, MA'AM. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. IF, IF I COULD JUST ADD TO THAT, WE DO HAVE A TEAM THAT'S GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY MEETING WITH THE ADULT DAYCARE CENTERS TO TEACH THEM ABOUT THE APP, HOW IT WORKS. THERE'S ALSO NOW A CUSTOMER PORTAL THAT'S AVAILABLE TO ALL THE, UM, AGENCIES THAT HAVE OUR HANDLE, OUR CLIENTS. AND THEY'RE ABLE TO HELP THEIR, THEIR, THEIR CLIENTS ACTUALLY BOOK THE TRIPS. AND WE ARE GETTING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM THESE ADULT DAYCARE CENTERS BECAUSE NOW THEY CAN HELP THEIR CLIENTS PLAN THEIR TRIPS, UH, EASE THEM A LITTLE BIT WHEN THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE VAN AND DO THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS APP IS GONNA BE DOING FOR THE, UM, THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE FOR OUR PARATRANSIT CUSTOMERS. VERY GOOD, THANK YOU. AND THEN, UH, THE ONLY LAST QUESTION I HAS, WE WERE, WE HEARD EARLIER, UH, CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR MILITARY BASES. YEAH. ARE WE STILL, I KNOW COMMAND CHANGES EVERY SUMMER. ARE WE IN CONTACT, UH, WITH, UH, COMMAND OVER THERE ABOUT HOW WE UTILIZE AND, AND TRANSFER OUR CUSTOMERS ONTO BASE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE GOING TO BMC OR SEEKING MEDICAL? YES, MA'AM. WE ARE, UH, THERE'S A PROCESS THAT EACH DRIVER NEEDS TO BE VETTED WITH A DEBITS PASS. AND ALL OF OUR DRIVERS, AS ALL OF OUR CONTRACT DRIVERS DO HAVE THOSE CREDENTIALS. UH, WHAT WHAT HAPPENS AT TIMES IS, UH, IT'S A SHARED RIDE SERVICE, OF COURSE. SO THERE COULD BE SOME PASSENGERS ON THE VEHICLES, UH, THAT AREN'T GOING TO THE RESPECTIVE BASE WHERE A PARTICULAR PASSENGER IS. HENCE THERE, THAT'S WHERE THE ISSUE CREATES. I THINK WE'VE DONE A SIGNIFICANT JOB OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS IDENTIFYING THOSE PROBLEMS, PUTTING IN PLACES WHERE WE TRY NOT TO COMMINGLE, IF YOU WILL, PASSENGERS NOT GOING THERE. WE'VE GROUPED THEM INTO TERRITORIES. WE KNOW WHO THE STEADY RIDERS ARE, BUT WE TRYING TO BE EFFICIENT WITH OUR SYSTEM. AND ONCE IN A WHILE, UH, OCCASIONALLY A FEW THINGS SLIP THROUGH. SO WE PLAN TO CONTINUALLY WORK ON THAT PROCESS AS PART OF THE SOFTWARE, UM, INTEGRATION. IS THERE A WAY TO DESIGNATE, UM, MILITARY STATUS AND NEED SO THAT THIS IS ON THE FRONT END? UM, ARRANGE WHEN, YOU KNOW, THE RESERVATION SYSTEM SELECTS, UH, INDIVIDUALS. I DON'T KNOW IF, IF THAT'S CUSTOMIZABLE OR NOT. WITH RESPECT TO MILITARY STATUS, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE A RANKING OFFICERS OR A CIVILIAN OR A VETERAN OR, OR VETERAN. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THEIR FINAL DESTINATION, AND THAT WAY IT PUTS A RED FLAG, HEY, THIS PERSON'S GOING TO THIS BASE. WE HAVE THE SYSTEM SET UP SO IT'S SMART ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND, HEY, I CAN'T PUT, UH, JOHN BULL BASIS WHO'S GOING TO, UH, A DIFFERENT LOCATION ON THAT VAN. 'CAUSE IT CAUSES A MIX SO THAT WE HAVE LOGIC IN OUR SYSTEM TO TRY TO FIX THAT. AND AGAIN, SOMETIMES THINGS [00:45:01] DO GET ADDED ON, TRIPS GET ADDED ON, ET CETERA. THANK YOU. YEAH. UM, MILITARY CITY, USA. IT IS. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. PROUD OF IT. YES, MA'AM. SO ALONG THAT LINE, UM, IS THERE A WAY THOUGH THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE BASIS TO MAYBE HAVE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE NOT COM UM, THEY DON'T HAVE THE IDENTIFICATION, THE REQUIRED IDENTIFICATION. CAN WE HAVE THEM WAITING IN THE VISITOR CENTER? LIKE IS THERE SOME SORT OKAY. BECAUSE, AND, AND THEN JUST A QUICK TURNAROUND, BECAUSE I WOULD HATE, I JUST, MAYBE WE JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH MS. WILLIE MAY, UH, CONSIDERING THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S AN ISSUE AND I'M SURE IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOWS, EBBS AND FLOWS, RIGHT? YEP. AS WE UNDERSTAND IT. BUT, UM, AGAIN, KNOWING THAT WE'RE A BIG, UM, ACTIVE CITY WHEN IT COMES TO MILITARY HERE, AND WE'RE ALWAYS ACTIVELY SEEKING ADDITIONAL MISSIONS, UM, THAT IS A FINAL DESTINATION FOR MANY INDIVIDUALS, UH, AS MUCH AS WE CAN, UH, INTEGRATE OUR SOFTWARE TO, UH, EASE INTO THAT, I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE HELPFUL, UH, IN THE LONG RUN. SO I KNOW YOU WERE ON TOP OF IT. JUST WE'RE TRYING TO THANK YOU. YOU'RE, UH, YOU'RE HELPING THE SITUATION HERE. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, TRUSTEE FLOTIS. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. JOHN, THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. I, SINCE I'M STILL A RELATIVELY NEW BOARD MEMBER, CAN YOU UNPACK THE 89% OF TOTAL COMPLAINTS ARE DETERMINED EMPLOYEE NOT AT FAULT. YEAH. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN? SO LET'S, UH, IF I CAN TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO A COMPLAINT, UH, A CALF HAS OPENED UP WHEN A, A PASSENGER, UH, CALLS TO OUR CUSTOMER CARE CENTER AND SAYS, HEY, UH, YOUR VEHICLE DIDN'T PICK ME UP ON TIME. OKAY. THAT THEY CAN ALSO OPEN UP THAT SAME CALF, A DIFFERENT CALF IF, HEY, I DON'T WANT BE PICKED UP BY A WHITE VAN, I WANNA BE PICKED UP A RED VAN. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A COMPLAINT. IT'S A, IT'S A QUESTION OR A CONCERN REQUIRES SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. UH, SO WE USE THIS GENERIC WORD COMPLAINT AND PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER. THE 89% COMES IN WHERE WE ANALYZE ALL OF THOSE COMPLAINTS THAT COME IN THAT ARE RELATED TO AN OPERATOR. AND AFTER WE DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND REALLY LOOK AT ALL THE FACTS OF THE TRIP, UH, WE FIND THAT THE OPERATOR OR THE SITUATION WASN'T, UH, ACCURATE PER SE. UH, AND THERE WAS A DIFFERENT SITUATION. SO THE OPERATOR WASN'T AT FAULT, OR WE DID SHOW UP IN THAT 30 MINUTE WINDOW. AND, UM, SO THOSE ARE, THAT'S HOW WE GET THAT, THAT, UH, THAT PERCENTAGE. OKAY. DOES THAT MAKE, IS THAT CLEAR? YEAH, I THINK SO. YEAH. I MEAN, I, I GUESS I DON'T, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO DO IT HERE TONIGHT, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND WITHIN THAT HOW MANY, HOW IT ALL BREAKS DOWN. OKAY. BECAUSE, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE HERE FOR BOARD MEETINGS, WE HEAR OFTEN THROUGH PUBLIC COMMENT AND, AND CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ABOUT DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THE RIDES THAT THEY HAD. AND SO IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO GO ONE LAYER DEEPER TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF THEY WERE TWO MINUTES OUTSIDE OF THAT 30 MINUTE WINDOW, HOW DOES THAT GET CATEGORIZED? AND WE DO TRACK THAT INFORMATION. WE, WE LOOKED AT THAT THE OTHER DAY. UH, JOHN MAYBE'S A REPORT OFFLINE. I MEAN, I, I JUST THINK IT'D BE HELPFUL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE WAY IT READS, IT KIND OF, IT KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE, WELL, WHATEVER THE REASON IS IT THAT'S ATTRIBUTED, THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IT IS NOT, IT, IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT'S ON THE PASSENGER. AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT'S INTENDED, BUT IT SOMEWHAT, IT READS LIKE THAT. GOTCHA. SO I THINK IF WE CAN GET A LITTLE MORE GRANULAR AND UNDERSTAND WHAT SITUATIONS ARE COMMON. THE OTHER QUESTION WAS OF THOSE COMPLAINTS, HOW MANY OF 'EM ARE VIA, UH, VERSUS THIRD PARTY? IS THERE A WAY TO BREAK THAT INFORMATION DOWN? WE DO. OKAY. PRISCILLA, DO WE, DON'T WE HAVE TO ANSWER IT NOW IN FUTURE? WE DO HAVE THAT DATA. THE, IF WE CAN GET IT TO YOU AFTERWARDS, IF YOU COULD BREAK THAT OUT FOR US, I THINK THAT'S ALSO IMPORTANT. WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE THAT DATA AND WE CAN PROVIDE YOU THAT TODAY. OKAY, GREAT. I THINK YOU HAD THE SLIDE UP THERE, RIGHT THERE. YEAH. UM, OH, YOU SAID UP THERE. OKAY. TRUSTEE FLOOD IS, WE DID HAVE THIS CONVERSATION A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD, UM, DEEP DIVE FOR ANY TRUSTEE THAT HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMPLAINTS AND THEN THE CATEGORIZATION OF THE DIFFERENT COMPLAINTS. AND I KNOW THIS WAS AROUND THE TIME THAT THE SOFTWARE INTEGRATION WAS HAPPENING AND THAT WE WERE TAKING A LOOK AT THIS IN ADDITION TO, UM, RIGHT BEFORE THE BUDGET SERIES. SO, UM, PERHAPS IT'S, IT'S A, A REPORT AND IF YOU WANT, UH, A STANDALONE MEETING, WE CAN DO THAT. AND IF NECESSARY, IF WE FEEL THAT THIS IS CONTINUING, UM, FOR A DEEP DIVE, WE CAN BRING FORWARD BOARD. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS JOHN. UH, TRUSTEE ION AND THEN TRUSTEE HOWARD? YES. UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. A QUESTION ABOUT THE FLEET, UM, RE JUST REMIND ME, PLEASE. I'M NOT SURE, UH, IF I REMEMBER THE, THE, UH, THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION. SO DO YOU DETERMINE WHEN IT'S TIME TO RETIRE A VEHICLE, WHETHER IT'S THE MILEAGE OR IS IT THE YEARS? THE FLEET AND FACILITIES [00:50:01] DEPARTMENT'S NOT, NOT PRESENT RIGHT NOW? UM, BUT I, I, I DEFER THAT QUESTION TO THEM. TRUSTEE DELEON, IT'S A COMBINATION OF BOTH. MM-HMM . SO WE DO LOOK AT A MINIMUM STANDARD OF, UNDER THE NEW POLICY THAT THE BOARD JUST APPROVED, A VEHICLE ON OUR BUS SIDE, FOR EXAMPLE, NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST NINE YEARS OLD AND HAVE A MINIMUM OF 540,000 MILES TO BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT AND REPLACEMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S GOOD. I JUST HAD A QUESTION GOING BACK TO THE BUDGET. YEP. TRUSTEE, HAVE YOUR MIC. SORRY, I JUST HAD A QUESTION. GOING BACK TO THE BUDGET, YOU MENTIONED THAT WHERE DID NET DECREASE OF WHAT? ABOUT $2.5 MILLION. AND THAT'S YEAR TO DATE? CORRECT. THAT'S A YEAR OVER YEAR CHANGE. A YEAR OVER YEAR CHANGE. YEAH. IN COMPARISON TO THE SAME TIME PERIOD. UM, FOR FY 25 YEAR TO DATE. GOOD. 'CAUSE I, I JUST WANTED TO COMPLIMENT YOU BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY GIVEN WHAT CNG HAS DONE TO THE ORGANIZATION OVER THE YEAR, THAT THAT IS A, A, A DIRECT POINT AT GREAT MANAGEMENT. AND I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW. I KNOW, I FORGET THE EXACT PERCENTAGE OF, OF INCREASE. AND SO IF YOU COULD DO A YEAR OVER YEAR CNG RELATIONSHIP TO THE COST OF THE OPERATIONS OF, OF THE ORGANIZATION LAST YEAR VERSUS THIS YEAR, THAT COST RELATIONSHIP TO THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION'S BUDGETING COMPONENT AND OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES, AND YOU'RE ONLY UP AND YOU'RE ONLY DOWN THAT MUCH, IT'S GOTTA BE A, IS A MAJOR ADJUSTMENT. 'CAUSE I'M ASSUMING THAT THIS ENG COST IS WELL IN EXCESS OF $2.5 MILLION INCREASE OVER THAT TIME PERIOD. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. TRUSTEE HOWARD. UH, BEAUTIFULLY SAID 75% INCREASE, I THINK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION IS WHAT YOU MENTIONED FOR CNG. UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE'S FEELING RIGHT NOW. UH, AND AS A TRANSIT AGENCY, IT'S DEFINITELY, UH, PART OF OUR, OUR BOTTOM LINE OF EXPENSES. UM, AND THEN ONE, ONE LAST COMMENT ON DISCOUNTED FARES. I KNOW, UH, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITY JUST TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH OF OUR DISCOUNTED FARES IMPACTS OUR, UH, UH, FAIR FAIRBOX REVENUES. UM, JUST SO THAT YOU CAN CALL THAT OUT. IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, 25% OF IT, THAT'S GREAT TO UNDERSTAND. IF IT'S NOT MORE THAN THAT, IT WOULD JUST BE HELPFUL TO SEE WHERE THAT LIES. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? TRUSTEES? GREAT. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. GOOD JOB. ALL RIGHT. UH, GROWTH. LET'S SEE. RIDERSHIP [8. Ridership Growth Strategy Update – For information and discussion provided by the Ridership Task Force. ] GROWTH STRATEGY UPDATE. MR. SIN, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN, WE HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE. IT'S BECAUSE THIS FOR THE NEXT TWO ITEMS NOW, BETTER BUSES, UH, UP THERE IS THAT WHY , MADAM CHAIR, AND THE MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEE. UH, I AM SANDEEP SAN VICE PRESIDENT OF SERVICE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING. AND WITH ME, I HAVE ANDREW GORMAN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, UH, JOSH BALL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS. UH, WE WILL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE, UH, ON THE RIDERSHIP STRATEGIES, UH, FOCUSING ON IMPROVING SERVICE QUALITY AND GROWING RIDERSHIP ACROSS THE REGION. WE ARE DESIGNING A MORE ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM, ALIGNING OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS ON THE FOUR PILLARS. WE ARE ALIGNING OUR SERVICE WITH NEW GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS. WE ARE STRONGER AT OUR CORE AND SYSTEMATICALLY IMPROVE IMPROVING ALL ASPECTS OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. WE ARE REINFORCING OUR PROACTIVE CUSTOMER FIRST APPROACH. BY LISTENING TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE ARE IMPROVING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF OUR MOST COST EFFICIENT FORM OF TRANSIT. VIA IS DELIVERING BETTER SERVICE SOONER THROUGH JULY. WE HAD 65% OF THE BETTER BUS PLAN IMPLEMENTED. RIDERSHIP IS ON THE RISE IN JULY OF 2026. ON THE FIXED ROUTE SIDE, WE HAD AN INCREASE OF 12.8% IN JULY, 2026, COMPARED TO JULY OF 2025. ON THE VIA LINK SIDE, WE HAD THE INCREASE OF 23.6%, AND ON THE VIA TRANS SIDE, WE HAD AN INCREASE OF 5%, UH, IN JULY OF 2026 COMPARED TO JULY OF [00:55:01] 2025. WHEN WE LOOK INTO ALL THE SERVICE TOGETHER, WE HAD AN INCREASE OF 12.7% IN JULY OF 2026, COMPARED TO JULY OF 2025. CONTINUING ON THE RIDERSHIP TREND IN AUGUST, WE ARE OUTPACING OUR INITIAL PLAN FOR BETTER BUSS PLAN EXECUTION WITH 70% OF THE PLAN IN MOTION WITH THE AUGUST, 2026 SERVICE CHANGES. RIDERSHIP IS ON THE RISE ON AUGUST TWO. ON THE FIXED ROUTE SIDE, WE HAD AN INCREASE OF 12.7% ON AUG IN AUGUST OF 2026 COMPARED TO AUGUST OF 2025. ON THE VIA LINK SIDE, WE HAD THE RIDERSHIP INCREASE OF 25.4%, AND ON THE VIA TRANS SIDE, WE HAD 1.6% INCREASE IN AUGUST OF 2026 COMPARED TO AUGUST OF 2025. WHEN WE LOOK INTO ALL THE RIDERSHIP TOGETHER, WE HAVE IT, WE HAVE AN INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP OF 12.5% IN AUGUST OF 2026, COMPARED TO AUGUST OF 2025. WE HAVE SEEN A STEADY INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP ON THE IMPROVED ROUTES. AS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN, THERE ARE 747,000 PEOPLE IMPACTED DUE TO THE APRIL, 2025, AUGUST, 2025, JANUARY, 2026, MAY, 2026, AND AUGUST, 2026. SERVICE CHANGES VIA IS SERVING 245,000, LOW INCOME, 598,000 MINORITIES, 100,000 SENIORS, 26,000 CAR FREE HOUSEHOLD, AND 518,000 JOBS. DUE TO THE SERVICE CHANGES, WE HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED 70% OF THE BETTER BUS PLAN, FIXED ROUTE IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE AUGUST, 2026 SERVICE CHANGES. SO AS WE IMPLEMENT MORE BETTER BUS PLAN SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS FOR BETTER EXPERIENCE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE AN INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP. OUR RIDERSHIP IS GROWING IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 2026. BETWEEN JANUARY, 2026 AND AUGUST, 2026, WE ALREADY SAW AN INCREASE OF 2,071,668 RIDERSHIP COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, YEAR TO DATE, OUR TARGET WAS 5%, WHICH WAS 1.58 MILLION. IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE EXCEEDED OUR 5% TARGET TO 2.071 MILLION RIDERS. YES. SO I'M HERE TODAY TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME EXCITING INFORMATION ABOUT RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE. OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM IS HARD AT WORK, BOTH PROACTIVELY PITCHING STORIES TO LOCAL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS AND ALSO ENSURING THAT WE'RE, UH, WORKING WITH REPORTERS AND GETTING THEM TIMELY AND ACCURATE INFORMATION WHEN THEY ENGAGE WITH US. IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS, WE'VE SEEN NEARLY TWO DOZEN PIECES FROM LOCAL AND INDUSTRY OUTLETS. THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS PUBLISHED SEVEN STORIES MORE THAN ANY OTHER OUTLET. AND KSAT TV HAS ALSO DONE A HANDFUL OF STORIES ON VIA, WITH SIGNIFICANT ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON THE VIA RAPID GREEN LINE. MUCH OF THE COVERAGE FOCUS ON HIGH PROFILE KEEPS SAN ANTONIO MOVING PROJECTS, TOUCHING ON CONSTRUCTION, STATIONARY, UH, STATION REVIEW BY THE HISTORIC DESIGN AND REVIEW COMMISSION, THE NEPA PROCESS AND STATUS UPDATES ON SILVER LINE FUNDING. ONE HIGHLIGHT OF THAT COVERAGE WAS PRESIDENT AND CEO JOHN GARA APPEARANCE ON KELLER. ENDS ON THE RECORD WITH RANDY BEAMER. NEWS OUTLETS HAVE ALSO COVERED, UH, THE ANNUAL STATE OF TRANSIT EVENT ALONG WITH THE STUDENT PASS PROGRAM. AND THEN NOT, UM, ENUMERATED ON THE SCREEN. WE'VE ALSO HAD SOME MORE RECENT COVERAGE, UM, ACCOUNTING FOR THE, UH, PILOT, UH, OVERNIGHT PROGRAM, AND THEN ALSO THE CONVERSE ELECTION. WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OFF TO ANDREW. THANK YOU, JOSH. UH, WE ALSO EXTENDED BRAND AWARENESS THROUGH PAID PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS. UH, THE EXAMPLE HERE, THE, MY SA ARTICLES GIVE US MORE SPACE TO EXPLAIN HOW SPECIFIC SERVICES CAN MEET A TRANSPORTATION NEED, BUT IN OUR OWN VOICE, THE PRIMARY GOAL IS AWARENESS, BUT A CLICK PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL INDICATOR THAT SOMEONE WANTS TO LEARN MORE. THE THREE MYSA ARTICLES GENERATED MORE THAN 400,000 [01:00:01] IMPRESSIONS AND 285 WEBSITE CLICKS. OUR BROADCAST SEGMENTS SERVE A BROADER REACH OBJECTIVE ACROSS SPECTRUM. KENS KSAT, K-A-B-B-W-O-A-I, THOSE SEGMENTS DELIVERED MORE THAN, UH, OR, SORRY, NEARLY 5.5 MILLION IMPRESSIONS. SO WE'RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT AN IMPRESSION, PER SE ALONE PRODUCES RIDERSHIP. THESE PLACEMENTS DO, HOWEVER, SUPPORT TOP OF FUNNEL AWARENESS BY KEEPING VIA VISIBLE, SHOWING WHERE OUR SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AND GIVING POTENTIAL WRITERS REASONS TO CONSIDER VIA FOR A FUTURE TRIP. SHIFTING GEARS HERE, THE STUDENT PASS CAMPAIGN IS DEMONSTRATING HOW WE ARE APPLYING A MORE PARTNER FOCUSED APPROACH TO RIDERSHIP GROWTH. NOW, HISTORICALLY, WHEN WE HAVE ASKED AN ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE VIA OR A VIA PROGRAM, WE COULD UNINTENTIONALLY CREATE ADDITIONAL WORK FOR THAT PARTNER. THEY FIRST HAD TO UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAM, DETERMINE WHAT TO SAY, AND SOMETIMES REQUEST OR EVEN CREATE THEIR OWN MATERIALS. SO FOR THIS RELAUNCH, WE REMOVED THOSE BARRIERS UPFRONT. WE DEVELOPED COMPLETE ENGLISH AND SPANISH TOOLKITS WITH VIA APPROVED MESSAGING, READY TO USE CREATIVE SUGGESTED COPIER VERBIAGE AND CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH COMMUNICATION CHANNEL. EVERYTHING DIRECTED STUDENTS AND THEIR GUARDIANS TO ONE CENTRALIZED VIA WEBSITE. THIS LEVEL OF GROUNDWORK FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGES THE ASK FOR OUR PARTNERS FROM, WILL YOU HELP US TO, HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO HELP US. THE RESULT IS FASTER PARTNER ACTIVATION, MORE CONSISTENT INFORMATION, REACHING STUDENTS THROUGH ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY ALREADY KNOW AND TRUST. AND THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE. WHILE THIS MAY LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT, THE DIFFERENCE IS THE LEVEL OF CARE WE'VE PUT INTO HOW A PARTNER WOULD ACTUALLY USE EACH ASSET. THE FLYER AT THE CENTER OF THE SCREEN IS A GREAT EXAMPLE. IT WAS INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED SO THAT A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR COULD PRINT IT ON A STANDARD OFFICE COPIER AND IMMEDIATELY POSTED IN A COUNSELING OFFICE ON A STUDENT BULLETIN BOARD OR IN ANOTHER HIGH TRAFFIC AREA. WE ALSO DESIGNED THIS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE STUDENT IN MIND. AS THE CUSTOMER OR RIDER, THE COMPLIMENTARY RIDE BENEFIT YOU'LL NOTICE IS PROMINENT. THE MESSAGING IS A LITTLE MORE SIMPLE, AND THE QR CODE PROVIDES AN IMMEDIATE PATH FOR THE STUDENT TO LEARN MORE AND APPLY. THAT REFLECTS AN IMPORTANT CHANGE IN OUR APPROACH. WE DID NOT SIMPLY SEND PARTNERS INFORMATION AND ASK THEM TO DETERMINE WHAT TO DO WITH IT. WE GAVE THEM MATERIALS THEY COULD IMMEDIATELY ACTIVATE, AND THE RESULT SHOWS THAT IT'S WORKING. SO AS A BENCHMARK, THE SPRING 2026 PROGRAM DISTRIBUTED 1047 STUDENT PASSES OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEMESTER WITH THIS RELAUNCH AS OF AUGUST 31ST, JUST ONE MONTH INTO OUR EFFORTS VIA HAD ALREADY DISTRIBUTED 2,782 PASSES. THAT MEANS WE'VE DISTRIBUTED 1,735 MORE PASSES IN ONE MONTH THAN DURING THE ENTIRE PREVIOUS SEMESTER. AND THAT MOMENTUM IS CONTINUING. UH, AS OF YESTERDAY, VIA HAD PROCESSED 3,766 TOTAL APPLICATIONS. SO NOW WE HAVE A PROVEN MODEL THAT WE CAN SCALE WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO CONNECT MORE OF SAN ANTONIO'S YOUTH WITH TRANSIT. ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, LET ME, UM, JUST, UH, PAUSE THERE. THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE, NUMBER ONE ON OUR STUDENT PASSES. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO STAFF. I KNOW PART OF THE PROCESS WAS, UH, SIMPLIFYING IT AND NOT HAVING AN ADMINISTRATOR HAVE TO SIGN AND COME BACK AND PRINT IT. SO I THINK SOME OF THE STREAMLINING OF THE PROCESSES HAVE BEEN HELPFUL. AND THEN THE MARCOM, UM, UH, DISTRIBUTION THAT YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT, I THINK IS ALSO HELPFUL. UH, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT SOCIALS. WE KNOW TEENS, YOUNGER ADULTS GET THEIR NEWS ON SOCIALS VERSUS YOUR TRADITIONAL, UM, NEWS STATION. SO AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THESE UPDATES, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS WELL. UM, AND THEN BENCHMARK THAT AGAINST OTHER AGENCIES, EITHER TRANSIT OR SIMILAR AGENCIES IN, IN OUR CITY. UM, BUT I, I THINK THAT'S A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND AGAIN, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, RETO, UH, FORMER TRUSTEE UNDERSTOOD THE, THE NEED, UH, FOR STUDENTS TO GET TO, UH, CLASS AND TRANSPORTATION WAS A CRITICAL BARRIER TO THAT. SO WANNA THANK [01:05:01] HER AGAIN FOR HER SUPPORT OF THAT AND HOPEFULLY, UH, SHE HAS ANOTHER DISTRIBUTION OF DOLLARS IN HER HER NEXT BUDGET HERE SOON. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? TRUSTEES? UH, TRUSTEE FERNANDEZ. THAT'S ALLAH 1,700 IS ALL LOT. CONGRATULATIONS, ANDREW, IN JUST ONE MONTH. UH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION. I KNOW, OR JUST TO CLARIFICATION AND OUR QUESTION. UH, THIS WAS MORE, UH, YOUR SOCIAL AND MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR STUDENTS, CORRECT? UM, YEAH. SO THIS, THIS WAS ACROSS, SO IT WAS A TOOLKIT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO OUR PARTNERS. SO IT WAS NOT JUST THE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, BUT SOME NONPROFITS THAT WERE PROCURED THROUGH GCR. THAT RELATIONSHIP, UH, WITH TOM AND HIS TEAM SUPPORTED THAT WE WERE CREATING STREAMLINED RESOURCES SO THAT THEY COULD COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE STUDENTS AND THE PARENTS. AND IN INCORPORATED IN THAT WERE RESOURCES LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGES AND SUGGESTED COPY SO THAT THEY COULD ADD THAT MATERIAL IN OUR BRAND VOICE TO THEIR OWN CHANNELS AND ALLOW THEM TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR AUDIENCES FOR AMPLIFICATION. SO HOW WE, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF, OR HAVE YOU EXPLORED STREAMLINING POSSIBILITIES WHERE SIMILAR TO WHEN YOU UPDATE YOUR LICENSE OR YOUR ID, THAT THEY OFFERS YOU THE OPTION TO ALSO REGISTER TO VOTE? WHERE STUDENTS CAN, THE MOMENT THEY'RE REGISTERING FOR A CLASS OR THEY GO THROUGH A SPECIFIC, UH, DRUG REGISTRATION, THEY CAN IMMEDIATELY APPLY FOR THE STUDENT PASS THAT IS TOP OF MIND A HUNDRED PERCENT TRUSTEE. I LOVE THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU, ANDREW. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR GOMEZ. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. UH, FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, THE VIA TEAM. CONGRATULATIONS ON THESE NEW RIDER NUMBERS. UH, IT'S JUST FABULOUS. AND WHERE WE ALL WOULDN'T BE GOING. UM, MY QUESTION IS, WHAT'S OUR GOAL FOR THIS NEXT YEAR? DID WE ESTABLISH THAT, UH, YOU HAVE A NUMBER TO SHARE, UM, AFTER A FULL YEAR THAT WE'LL HAVE OF THE BETTER BUS PLAN IN EFFECT, AND ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS IN EFFECT, WHAT'S THAT NUMBER GONNA LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE 5% SANDEEP WAS SANDBAGGING CLEARLY 25% . HE SAID IT. I DIDN'T, YES, I SAID SANDBAG. UH, IN, IN THE BUDGET THAT Y'ALL ARE, UM, GONNA BE CONSIDERING NEXT WEEK, A WEEK FROM TODAY, UH, WE HAVE, UH, PUT IT THERE, A 7.6% INCREASE, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR. SO NOT QUITE DOUBLE OF WHAT WE, UH, HAD PUT IN THERE AT 5% THIS YEAR, BUT 7.6% WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA STEP UP ON IT, UM, AS WELL. HOW ABOUT 10%? I I SOUNDS BETTER TO ME. LIKE 10% RIGHT THERE. I DID THE CALCULATIONS RIGHT NOW. ALL RIGHT, SANDEEP, THANK YOU. IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, IF, IF IT'S 10% AND YOU NEED THE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES FOR IT, NOW'S THE TIME TO TELL US. 'CAUSE I'D LIKE TO SHOOT FOR 10%, MADAM CHAIR AND, AND TRUSTEES. SURE. AND IF WE NEED TO RECONSIDER WHAT WE'RE DEDICATING IN TERMS OF RESOURCES TO IT, LET'S, LET'S CONSIDER THAT. BUT, UH, 5%, 7.5%, AH, WE CAN DO BETTER. THE GOAL IS TO GET TO 50 MILLION RIDERS. AND HOW QUICKLY CAN WE GET TO 50 MILLION RIDERS? WE'RE AT 33. A LITTLE OVER 33 NOW OVER THE, THE YEAR. YEP. AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT, UM, A FIVE, 7%, EVEN A 10% INCREASE, UM, IT DOESN'T GET US TO 50 SOON ENOUGH SO THE CHALLENGE, I THINK, SANDEEP, AS WE TALKED ABOUT IT DURING THE STATE OF TRANSIT, UH, IS 50 MILLION. UM, AND I KNOW THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, OF COMING ONLINE WITH THE GREEN LINE AND THE SILVER LINE, AND THERE'S RESOURCES THAT WE, WE HAVE TO REALLOCATE, UH, IN TERMS OF SOME OF OUR FIXED BUS ROUTES. UH, AND I KNOW OUR, OUR VIA LINK IS COMING ONLINE, RIGHT? BUT HEY, WHY NOT SHOOT FOR THE STARS RIGHT NOW? BECAUSE THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET OUR RIDERS ON BEFORE THE GREEN LINE STARTS, UH, WHICH THEN ENTICES THEM RIGHT TO, TO WANNA SEEK OUR SERVICES MORE. AND I KNOW, UM, WE'LL HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE LATER ON ABOUT OUR INTEGRATED APP AND SOME OF THE SECURITY MEASURES THAT WERE THERE, UH, AS WELL, WHICH IS GONNA HELP PROMOTE IT. BUT THIS ADVERTISING, LIKE, WHAT IS OUR STRATEGY FOR ADVERTISING AND WHO OUR TARGET AUDIENCES. THAT'S WHAT I'M SO CURIOUS TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE IT SPEAKS TO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, VICE CHAIR OF, UH, INCREASING THE RIDERSHIP. IT'S A WHOLE AGENCY PLAY, RIGHT? JUST LIKE HR, RIGHT? IT WASN'T JUST HR, IT WAS THE WHOLE AGENCY THAT WAS PLAYING A, A PART OF THIS. UH, SO AGAIN, THROWING THE, THE CHALLENGE OUT THERE TO THE TEAM , LOOK AT HIS GRIN. , I, I LOVE THOSE SMILES. THOSE GRINS, RIGHT? YES. YES. WE'RE WITH YOU. WE'RE WITH YOU . [01:10:01] THANK YOU. ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS? TRUSTEES, UH, TRUSTEE? A NO. I JUST APPLAUD YOUR VISION BECAUSE I TOO THINK THAT IF YOU SET THOSE GOALS AND GO FOR THEM, UH, IT'S ABOUT THE FUTURE. AND TRANSPORTATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE IN OUR CITY, AND WE'RE CONQUERING IT, ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE THAT DATA. SO IF YOU JUST KEEP LETTING US KNOW WHAT THE DATA IS AS SOON AS YOU HAVE IT, AND WE'RE GONNA CONT CONTINUE PUSHING FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HAVE A QUESTION. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. YOU GOT HIM EXCITED. SANDEEP. GOOD JOB. . HE DOESN'T SEEM EXCITED. . HE CAN'T MOVE. . WHOA. THIS IS A GREAT, THAT IS SANDEEP EXCITED. WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE SETTING YOU UP FOR THE NEXT ONE HERE, SANDEEP. YEAH. THANK YOU, UH, ANDREA AND JOSH FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, PROPOSE [9. Proposed January 2027 Service Changes - For information and discussion on the proposed service changes to be implemented in January 2027.] JANUARY 20, 27. SERVICE CHANGES RIGHT UP THE ALLEY FOR YOU HERE. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. BOARD CHAIR AND THE MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEE. I'M SANDEEP SEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF SERVICE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING, AND I WILL PRESENT THE PROPOSED 2027 SERVICE CHANGES FOR INFORMATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION BY THE VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES. OUR FOCUS IS TO CREATE A SYSTEM THAT IS FREQUENT, DIRECT, CONVENIENT, AND SIMPLE FOR A BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. ALIGNING WITH OUR ORGANIZATIONAL PILLARS, WE ARE PROVIDING FREQUENT AND CONSISTENT SERVICE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ROUTES WILL GIVE THE COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO MORE GROCERS, PHARMACIES, AND JOBS IN THE REGION. VIA HAS ACCELERATED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SIX YEAR PLAN BY PUTTING INTO MOTION 70% OF THE BETTER BUS PLAN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LAST 16 MONTHS. FOR THE JANUARY, 2027 SERVICE CHANGES WE ARE PROPOSING RESTORING COMMUNITY ACCESS TO LA SOYA ON ROUTE 42 ROOSEVELT, AND IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY ON ROUTE 6 1 9 KLAC PORT ASSAY BY REALIGNING AND CREATING A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION. ROUTE 42 ROOSEVELT FOLLOWING MAY, 2026. MAY 26TH, 2026. BOARD MEETING PLANNING MET WITH SOUTH SIDE COLLABORATIVE GROUP ON JUNE 11TH, HISTORICALLY, WHICH WILL PRE PANDEMIC. THIS EXTENSION GENERATED AN AVERAGE OF 16 WEEKDAY PASSENGERS PROPOSED REALIGNMENT TO CONTINUE ON TO SERVE MARTINEZ LASO ROAD AND LEO ROAD. AIM MIDDAY AND PM TRIPS WOULD BE AVAILABLE TRIPS TO NAVI STORE, WHICH IS INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING NOW. AND TJ MAXX WILL BE REMOVED AND REALIGNED TO SERVE HIGH DEMAND AREA IN LAIA. BUT THERE WILL BE BUS STOPS ON HIGHWAY 2 81 TO ACCESS TJ MAXX AND INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING ROUTE SIX 19. KLAC ROUTE WAS ORIGINALLY REALIGNED IN JANUARY OF 2026. CUSTOMERS REQUESTED A FASTER DIRECT CONNECTION TO KLAC TRANSIT CENTER. THE PROPOSAL INCLUDES REALIGNING THE ROUTE TO TRAVEL FROM WALMART ON TON BLUE TO KLAC TRANSIT CENTER. THEN IT GOES TO THE WEST SIDE HEALTH CENTER AND ATE AT PORT. THE REALIGNMENT WOULD MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING A FASTER, MORE DIRECT ROUTE BETWEEN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND THE KLAC TRANSIT CENTER, THE SEGMENT NOT SOUTH BY ROUTE 6 1 9, ARE SOUTH BY THE PRIMO 1 0 2 ON SOUTHWEST MILITARY DRIVE AND ROUTE 5 24 ON CONTAINER ROAD AND GENERAL HARDNER DRIVE. THERE WILL BE, SO WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS IMPROVEMENTS? SO THERE WILL BE 29,800 PEOPLE WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS SERVICE CHANGE. THERE WILL BE 48,000 MORE JOBS ACCESSED. 12,000 LOW INCOME PEOPLE, 25,000 MINORITY PEOPLE, 1000 CAR FREE HOUSEHOLD, AND 4,000 SENIORS WHO ARE 65 YEARS AND ABOVE WILL [01:15:01] BE SERVED BY THIS SERVICE CHANGE. DUE TO ACCELERATION OF THE BETTER BUSS PLAN, WE HAVE 80 PER 81% OF THE FIXED ROUTE SERVICE, WHICH OFFERS 30 MINUTES OR BETTER SERVICE GOING OVER THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE. THE JANUARY, 2020 SERVICE 2027 SERVICE CHANGE IS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD TODAY FOR INFORMATION, PUBLIC OUTREACH AND COMMENT, PERIOD TO COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC FOR PROPOSED SERVICE. CHANGE WILL START AFTER THE BOARD MEETING TODAY. I WILL COME BACK TO THE BOARD IN OCTOBER FOR BOARD TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS SERVICE, CHANGE PUBLIC INFORMATION TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT APPROVED SERVICE CHANGE BEFORE AND AFTER. THE IMPLEMENTATION WILL START AFTER THE BOARD APPROVAL IN OCTOBER. THE SERVICE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED ON JANUARY 11TH, 2027. I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. I, I'D LIKE TO ADD HERE, BECAUSE RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF THE PRESENTATION WE JUST HAD AND THE EXCITEMENT THAT WE JUST HAD, UM, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A, OF A SERVICE CHANGE THAT WE CALL COST NEUTRAL. THIS, THIS SERVICE CHANGE IS NOT COSTING US ANY MORE MONEY. SO AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, THESE ARE STILL THOSE TYPE OF TWEAKS TO THE SYSTEM THAT SANDEEP AND HIS TEAM ARE LOOKING AT TO, AGAIN, DRIVE RIDERSHIP. BUT THE COST IS NEUTRAL FOR US. SO THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE BRINGING TO YOU ALL PROBABLY MORE OFTEN NOW SINCE WE'VE DONE A HEAVY LIFT ON THE FINANCIAL, UH, INVESTMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE ON IMPROVEMENTS. THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF NOW CONTINUING TO TWEAK THOSE IMPROVEMENTS, BUT KEEPING OUR COST NEUTRAL FOR IT AS WELL. SO I WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING FINANCIALLY, BUT, UH, MORE OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO COME FORWARD FROM SANDE. YES, THANK YOU JOHN. GARY. THANK YOU JOHN. UH, SANDEEP, YES. ON YOUR MAR UH, LOYA MARTINEZ ROUTE. THERE IS A SCHOOL RIGHT THERE ON THAT CORNER AND ALONG WITH A HEALTH FACILITY, THEY JUST, UH, DEDICATED A CLINIC NOT TOO LONG AGO. AND SO THEN IT PASSES BY TJ MAXX AND THE NAVISTAR, AND THEN IT TURNS, IT'S WHAT I UNDERSTAND BY YOUR MAP. UH, AND SO THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT U UTILIZE THAT CLINIC AND, AND NATURALLY THE SCHOOL I WAS WITH, UH, SOME TEACHERS THAT TEACH THERE, UH, JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND THEY WERE QUESTIONING ME ABOUT THE, THE ROUTE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE. UH, SO AS WE'RE DOING, UM, THE CHANGES FOR TJ MAXX AND, UM, UH, NAVISTAR, AND WE, I'M ASSUMING WE'RE TALKING TO THEM, UH, YES. THEIR HR AND THEY KNOW HOW MUCH, UH, OF THEIR YES. WORK BASE. OKAY. AND THEN, UH, THE BUS STOPS THERE AS WE'RE ADDING ADDITIONAL, ARE WE, IS IT COVERED BUS STOPS? IS THAT PART OF THE, THE PLAN THAT Y'ALL BROUGHT FORWARD TO US? UH, IT IS JUST A POLE ON THE GROUND. UM, THAT'S WHAT THEY USED TO HAVE, AND THE RIDERSHIP WAS PRETTY LOW. UH, AND IT'S WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE FROM HIGHWAY 2 81. OKAY. WE'LL LOOK AT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THEN, UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT NOW, THE BETTER BUS 2.0, HOWEVER WE WANNA CATEGORIZE THIS BECAUSE NOW IT'S GONNA BE MORE FREQUENT, UH, GOING TO THE 50 MILLION WE JUST AGREED TO, RIGHT? SANDEEP . UM, IT'LL BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND. I I THINK AS YOU BRING THESE CHANGES TO THE BOARD, HOW THIS FITS IN THE, THE BIGGER STRATEGY. SURE. UM, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF 10 PROPOSED CHANGES FOR THIS QUARTER, OR IS IT GONNA BE ONE OF, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, I, I THINK JUST THE OVERALL RIDERSHIP STRATEGY MM-HMM . UM, AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT FOR THE NEXT YEAR, AS YOU HAVE A NEW, A GOAL TO TARGET HERE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, UM, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND THEN AGAIN, I REITERATING WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK IN TALKING TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION, GREATER SATX, AND THINK ABOUT JOBS, UM, A LOT OF THOSE JOBS RELOCATING TO SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, TOYOTA, TOYOTA SUPPLIERS AS AN EXAMPLE. HOW DOES THAT FEED INTO, UH, THIS PROCESS? UM, THAT'LL BE HELPFUL AS YOU BRING THESE, UH, SERVICE CHANGES, UH, BEFORE US TOO. OKAY. TO UNDERSTAND. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS? VERY GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO, [10. *Real Estate – Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) East/West Corridor Silver Line Real Estate Acquisition - For information, discussion, and possible action regarding the acquisition of property for the ART East/West Corridor Silver Line project. ] UH, REAL ESTATE ADVANCE, UH, RAPID TRANSIT EAST WEST CORRIDOR SILVER LINE REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION, MS. KENON. [01:20:08] HI, GOOD EVENING. I'M HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE YOU INFORMATION AND TO REQUEST YOUR CONSIDERATION RELATED TO REAL ESTATE ACQUISITIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE VIA RAPID SILVER LINE. LET'S SEE. AND MY NAME IS ABIGAIL KINISON. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE AND CAPITAL AMENITIES. AS YOU KNOW, THE VIA RAPID SILVER LINE WILL PROVIDE FAST, RELIABLE SERVICE BETWEEN THE WEST AND EAST SIDES OF SAN ANTONIO. THE PROJECT RUNS ALONG WEST COMMERCE AND BUENA VISTA AND EAST HOUSTON STREETS FROM GENERAL MCMULLEN DRIVE THROUGH DOWNTOWN TO THE FROST BANK CENTER. THE ADVANCEMENT IN ULTIMATE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT IS IN DIRECT ALIGNMENT WITH V'S. MISSION, TO TAKE YOU TO WHAT MATTERS MOST AND OUR VISION TO BE THE DRIVING FORCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY'S GROWTH AND SUCCESS. EXCUSE ME. TO FACILITATE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION OF STATIONS AND RELATED TRANSIT AMENITIES FOR THE PUBLIC PURPOSE OF EXPANDING VIAS TRANSIT SYSTEM VIA REQUIRES THE ACQUISITION OF SLIVERS OF REAL PROPERTY AND OR OTHER PROPERTY INTEREST IN OUR CASE, TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION EASEMENTS. ON THIS SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE EXAMPLES OF THE TWO TYPES OF PROPERTY INTEREST SLIVERS OF FEE. SIMPLE TITLE OF REAL PROPERTY IS SHOWN IN RED SHADING, AND THE TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION EASEMENTS ARE SHOWN IN ORANGE SHADING. THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF PAGES FROM OUR PARCEL BOOK. THE ENGINEERS PUT THIS TOGETHER TO HELP US COMMUNICATE TO LANDOWNERS, UM, WHERE STATION LOCATIONS ARE AND, AND THE IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THE CORRIDOR. THE LABELS YOU'LL NOTICE ARE ALSO IN RED OR ORANGE, DEPENDING ON IF THERE'S AN ACQUISITION OR A TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION EASEMENT. SO I WILL NOTE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE SILVER LINE PARCELS, 85%, ARE TEMPORARY IN NATURE. ALSO, OF NOTE, UH, MOST OF THE ACQUISITION PARCELS, THE RED ARE NEAR A STATION OR AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE MORE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS ARE BEING MADE, AND THUS MORE SPACE OR PROPERTY INTEREST IS NEEDED. SO THIS IS A QUICK REMINDER. I'M HERE TODAY TO REQUEST BOARD ACTION TO ACQUIRE SILVER LINE PROPERTY INTEREST THROUGH IMMINENT DOMAIN IF NEEDED, PURSUANT TO SECTION 4 51 0.059 OF THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE. THAT CAN ONLY HAPPEN 30 DAYS OR MORE AFTER A PUBLIC HEARING IS HELD. THAT WAS ADVERTISED TWICE, AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. WE DID ADVERTISE A PUBLIC HEARING IN THE WEEKS OF JULY 7TH AND JULY 14TH IN THE HEARTBEAT ION AND LAA. THE VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES DID HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON JULY 28TH. AND I'M HERE TODAY TO REQUEST ACTION. I'LL ALSO REPORT THERE WERE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS RECEIVED. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TRUSTEES. ANY QUESTIONS? ARE THERE ANY KNOWN, UH, REQUIRED IMMINENT DOMAIN POSITIONS AT, AT THIS MOMENT? OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE AT THIS MOMENT WE ARE STILL IN SURVEY ON ABOUT HALF OF THE PARCELS. WE'RE PR WE'RE DOING, UM, APPRAISALS ON AN ABOUT THE OTHER HALF. SO NO OFFERS HAVE YET TO BE MADE TO LANDOWNERS. UM, SO I, I DON'T KNOW YET. YOU DUNNO. MOTION? I HAVE A MOTION. SECOND. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD PRESENTATION. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON [13. President & CEO Report] AND SKIP A LITTLE BIT OF AN ORDER. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT HERE. YES, MA'AM. YES, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THAT. BEFORE WE GET INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, UM, THAT WE HAVE POSTED FOR Y'ALL, BUT I WANNA GET INTO THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT, AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE SUPER TIMELY BASED ON THE CONVERSATION THAT WE WERE JUST HAVING ABOUT RIDERSHIP. UH, BUT I'LL GET TO THAT HERE IN A MOMENT. UH, THIS IS THE MOMENT OF, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO REMIND OURSELVES AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS GUIDING OUR, OUR STRATEGY, DIRECTION, IDEAS AND FOCUS STARTS WITH CUSTOMERS, COMMUNITY, OUR WORKFORCE, AND OUR, OUR GOAL OF HAVING, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE AS THAT MOMENT IN THAT WE HAVE A, A CELEBRATION OF TWO INDIVIDUALS, UM, AS IT RELATES TO OUR WORKFORCE. UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO MANGER. I DON'T SEE MANGER IN HERE. SHE'S NOT IN HERE. UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN NEXT MONTH. THEN . UH, SO MANGER IS GOING TO GRADUATE FROM, UM, SHE'LL BE COMPLETING THE PROGRAM AS A MEMBER OF LEADERSHIP AT THE CLASS OF 2026. SHE'LL BE GRADUATING FROM THAT AS, UH, APA COMES AROUND IN CHICAGO HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND THEN SHE START TEACHING [01:25:01] IT. AND, AND THEN SHE COULD PRACTICALLY TEACH IT TOO RIGHT AFTER THAT AS WELL. BUT HERE I DO SEE ANTHONY HERE. ANTHONY, YOU WANNA STAND UP HERE. UH, ANTHONY, ANTHONY WILL BE REPRESENTING HIMSELF, OF COURSE, IN VIA IN THE NEW CLASS FOR LEADERSHIP OF APTA HEADING UP, UM, ALSO, UH, STARTING IN SEPTEMBER. SO WE HAVE ONE GRADUATING AND WE HAVE ONE THAT WE'RE DROPPING OFF AT AT COLLEGE, SO TO SAY. UM, AND, UH, AND WISHING YOU WELL, I KNOW YOU, YOU'RE GONNA REPRESENT US WELL, BUT WE WANTED TO POINT THIS OUT AS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, NOT ONLY FOR YOURSELF, BUT ALSO FOR YOU REPRESENTING US. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, ANTHONY. APPRECIATE IT. SO, I, I REALLY ENJOYED, 'CAUSE I, I KNEW WHAT I HAD IT WRITTEN HERE IN MY PRESIDENT'S REPORT. UM, THE CONVERSATION THAT Y'ALL WERE HAVING WITH OUR, OUR, OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS IN SANDEEP, OUR PLANNING GROUP ABOUT RIDERSHIP AND, AND IN PARTICULAR ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH RIDERSHIP AND THE GAINS THAT WE HAVE. I THINK WHAT I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HERE IS GONNA GIVE Y'ALL A LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT ON WHY THEY WERE SMILING, BUT THEY WERE RESERVED, RIGHT? YOU, Y'ALL WERE WANTING THEM TO KIND OF SAY, WELL, THIS IS A BIG DEAL, RIGHT? THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS INCREDIBLE. UH, AND STAFF HASN'T SEEN THIS PRESENTATION EITHER. I HAVE VERBALLY TOLD TO SOME OF THEM WHAT, WHAT I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT HERE, BUT CONTEXT IS WHAT I'M GONNA BRING THIS BOARD AND, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT ARE HERE IN, IN THE AUDIENCE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE GONNA EMPHASIZE HERE IS WE'RE ONTO SOMETHING. SOME WE'RE ONTO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL. UH, WE ALWAYS KNEW WE'RE OVER PERFORMERS. YOU KNOW, STAFF HAS BEEN GREAT OVER PERFORMERS. EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL WERE SAYING EARLIER ABOUT WHEN WE SET OUR MINDS TO SOMETHING, UH, TO DO, THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE AN INCREDIBLE INNATE ABILITY TO REALLY ZONE IN AND REALLY FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO IT. SO I WANTED TO GIVE Y'ALL SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THAT. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THIS, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT 2 MILLION MORE PASSENGER TRIPS SINCE OCTOBER OF 25, OVER 2 MILLION PASSENGER TRIPS. SO ROUGHLY 7% RIDERSHIP GROWTH ON ALL SERVICES FISCAL YEAR TO DATE, WE'RE AT 33 MILLION. YOU KNOW, UH, UM, ACTUALLY, UM, BUT I WANT YOU TO PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THAT NEGATIVE 0.0 0.4%. THAT'S WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS DOING IN TRANSIT NATIONALLY ON BUS RIDERSHIP. AND WE'RE UP BY QUITE A BIT FROM ZERO. SO ALL OF OUR TRANSIT BRETHREN AROUND THE UNITED STATES ARE PRETTY FLAT AS IT RELATES TO BUS RIDERSHIP, UH, BUS, UH, IN PARTICULAR AND, AND PASSENGER TRIPS. SO WE SAID, OKAY, WELL LET'S TAKE THAT A DEEP, LET'S DO A LITTLE DEEPER DIVE TO GIVE US SOME MORE CONTEXT HERE. ALRIGHT. FIRST, I THINK, I BELIEVE OUR FIRST, UH, LOOK HERE IS GOING TO REITERATE THAT NATIONAL NUMBER AGAIN, RIGHT? THIS IS, UH, THIS IS ALL US BUS. IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN GETTING A LITTLE BETTER, BUT STILL FLAT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE 26. UH, THEN WE'LL SAY, LET'S LOOK AT, UH, TEXAS. THAT'S WHAT TEXAS IS DOING. ALL RIGHT? WELL, TEXAS, YOU KNOW, EXCLUDING VIA IS ALSO VERY FLAT. UM, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF POSITIVE THERE FOR A LITTLE BIT EARLIER IN THE YEAR. BUT, YOU KNOW, RELATIVE, YOU KNOW, OVERALL FOR YEAR TO DATE, UM, FOR 26 IS, IS, UH, IS JUST BASICALLY POINT, YOU KNOW, 2%, UH, NEGATIVE 0.2%. I SAID, OKAY, WELL, LET'S GO LOOK AT THE FOUR MAJORS IN, IN, IN TEXAS. I THINK THE FIRST ONE WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT HERE IS CAP METRO IN AUSTIN. UH, THEIR NEGATIVE 4.4% RIDERSHIP GROWTH, UM, IN CAP METRO YEAR TO DATE THIS YEAR. LET'S GO LOOK AT DART. DART. THEY'RE AT NEGATIVE 5% RIDERSHIP YEAR TO DATE OF WHAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE. OKAY, LET'S GO OVER TO HOUSTON METRO. THE WELL FUNDED GUYS, AS WE CALL 'EM. THEY'RE AT 3.9% HOUSTON METRO AND HERE COMES VIA AT THE BIG TOP 9.7%. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE, AND, AND BY THE WAY, THIS IS NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE USING HERE, JUST SO WE CAN COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES. UH, SO THIS IS EVEN NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE INFORMATION, SO YOU CAN EVEN LOOK BROADER, UH, BEYOND JUST OUR TEXAS PEERS. THERE'S ONLY TWO AGENCIES THAT HAVE DONE BETTER THAN 9% IN THE COUNTRY. AND THAT'S, UH, UM, THAT'S SAN FRANCISCO, UH, BART ON THEIR, [01:30:01] UH, BUS RIDERSHIP. UM, BUT A LITTLE CAVEAT TO THAT IS THEY HAVE A, UM, A METRO, I'M SORRY, A, UH, A, UH, A RAIL LINE THAT'S DOWN. AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY, UH, WHILE THAT RAIL LINE IS DOWN, THEY'RE USING BUS TO TAKE THOSE PASSENGERS. SO WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE IF THAT'S GONNA BE SUSTAINABLE, BUT TWO, UH, I THINK IT WAS, UH, SANTA CLARA OR ANOTHER WEST COAST, BUT NOT BY A LOT AHEAD OF US. BUT IT IS INDEED, WE'RE THE TOP THREE IN THE COUNTRY FOR SURE ON RIDERSHIP GAINS. BUT WHERE WE ARE DIFFERENT EVEN THAN THOSE OTHER TWO IS THE RECIPE THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE LAST YEAR. SO THIS IS THE INCREASES THAT WE'VE SEEN THIS YEAR. WE ADD THAT TO THE INCREASES THAT WE SAW LAST YEAR AND WE'RE TOPS FROM LAST YEAR AS WELL. AND CONSIDER WHAT WE STARTED LAST YEAR. WE REALLY DIDN'T START INCREASING RIDERSHIP UNTIL AFTER WE DID OUR FIRST TRANCHE OF SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH OUR FIRST REALLY BIG TRANCHE OF SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS WAS AUGUST OF LAST YEAR. I KNOW WE DID AN APRIL, BUT THEN THE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD AUGUST AND THEN WE, WE PILED IN MORE AFTER THAT. SO WE'RE STILL LEADING, YOU KNOW, THE BUS INDUSTRY, STILL LEADING HOUSTON METRO, STILL LEADING OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR PEERS. BUT COLLECTIVELY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'RE, WE'RE, IF WE'RE NOT NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY, WE'RE WE'RE TIED FOR NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY ON, ON, ON THE RIDERSHIP GAINS THAT WE'RE SEEING. SO I THINK THAT'S THE MOMENT WHEN STAFF IS LOOKING AT YOU WITH THOSE, WITH THOSE WHITE EYES SAYING, YEAH, THIS IS GREAT, BUT THEY ALSO SEE HOW QUICKLY YOU COULD ALSO FALL RIGHT AS WELL. AND, AND, BUT THAT'S NOT OUR PLAN. SO OUR PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR IS 7.6%, UH, AGAINST THE ENTIRE BUS INDUSTRY, PROBABLY STAYING FLAT, YOU KNOW, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WHEN YOU DO SEE TRANSIT GAINS IN GENERAL, MOST OF THAT IS COMING FROM, FROM RAIL, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTRY. UM, BUT THIS IS, WE, WE, UH, WE PULLED RAIL OUT FROM THESE NUMBERS AND JUST, AND JUST LOOKED AT BUS SINCE, OF COURSE WE DON'T HAVE RAIL HERE. UH, SO IT'S AN, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE MESSAGE. IT'S, IT'S A MESSAGE I THINK THAT PUTS INTO CONTEXT. I KNOW THIS BOARD IN PARTICULAR REALLY APPRECIATES, UH, BENCHMARKING. AND WHEN THIS BENCHMARKING STARTED COMING TO FRUITION, WHEN WE STARTED UNCOVERING THIS, THIS IS LEROY AND I, UH, WE SAID, WOW, WE GOT AN INCREDIBLE STORY TO TELL. AND THEN LET ME ADD ANOTHER PIECE TO THIS TOO, BECAUSE, UH, A GROUP OF US WERE IN FRONT OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD FOR THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS JUST RECENTLY. AND ONE OF THE QUICK QUESTIONS THAT CAME ABOUT OUR, OUR RIDERSHIP GAINS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IS LIKE, OKAY, WELL, IS GAS PRICES DRIVING THIS? WELL, FUEL PRICES DON'T EXPLAIN OUR GROWTH BECAUSE FUEL PRICES ALSO, HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE GAS PRICES WERE SPIKING HERE IN TEXAS, UM, IN PARTICULAR. AND WE'RE GONNA SHOW YOU WHAT WE, UH, WERE DOING. UH, THAT'S TEXAS BUS AGAIN. SO THOSE ARE OUR BRETHREN EXCLUDING VIA, AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT VIA DOES HERE. YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S THE GAINS THAT CONTINUE, YOU KNOW, TO HAPPEN BEFORE BUS, BEFORE FUEL PRICES EXPLODED. SO SECONDLY, IF IT WAS REALLY DR DRIVING, IF FUEL PRICES WERE BE DRIVING RIDERSHIP, THE OTHER TEXAS SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE SEEN RIDERSHIP INCREASES AS WELL, ESPECIALLY DURING THE, THE PEAKS. UM, AND THAT DID, THAT JUST DID NOT HAPPEN. SO IT ALL COMES KIND OF BACK TO, YOU KNOW, OUR BETTER BUS PLAN 100% AND THE BETTER BUS PLAN OF WHAT WE'RE DESIGNING FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND THE SYSTEM IS PAYING DIVIDENDS. UH, WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW IN BELIEVING OUR OWN BELIEFS, WHICH IS WHY I THINK WE SET UP THE 5% KIND OF LOAD THIS YEAR. SANDBAGGING, I THINK I ACTUALLY HAD JOKED WITH SANDEEP ALSO USING THE WORD SANDBAG, UH, IN A, IN A FUN WAY AT ONE OF OUR EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM MEETINGS. UM, BUT, BUT IT REALLY IS THE COMBINATION AND THE RECIPE THAT WE HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER AS AN AGENCY OF PUTTING OUT A SYSTEM THAT SAN ANTONIO IS, IS, UH, IS REACTING TO. UM, AND IT'S INCREDIBLE TO SEE THE TYPE OF REACTION AND THE ADOPTION THAT WE'RE SEEING IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, CONSIDERING THAT TYPICALLY SERVICE CHANGES TAKE ABOUT A YEAR TO 18 MONTHS TO BECOME MATURE IN THAT MARKETPLACE, AND THEN THEY'LL START SEEING GAINS. SO WE STILL HAVE THAT TO GO, UH, BECAUSE MOST OF OUR SERVICE CHANGES ARE, ARE UNDER A YEAR OR JUST ABOUT A YEAR AND, AND SOME CHANGE. UH, SO I THINK THE LAST SLIDE, WE JUST KIND OF BRING ALL THIS BACK TOGETHER HERE AND JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SEEM TO HAVE THAT RIGHT RECIPE OF WHAT [01:35:01] WE'RE DOING. FREQUENCY THAT SHOWS UP, ROUTES RUNNING EVERY 30 MINUTES ARE BETTER. YOU KNOW, ROSE FROM 46% OF THE NETWORK IN JANUARY 25 TO NOW OVER 80% OF THE NETWORK IN AUGUST OF 25. BETTER BUS PLAN INVESTMENTS, PUTTING MORE BUSES ON THE STREET WITH CORRIDORS WHERE THE DEMAND IS, WHERE FOLKS WANT TO GO, THE RELIABILITY AND EXPERIENCE CLEANER, SAFER, MORE PREDICTABLE TRIPS, UM, AND THE CONFIDENCE THAT KEEPS RIDERS COMING BACK. AND THEN OF COURSE, IT IS ALL POSSIBLE BY THE WORKFORCE. THAT'S WHERE I START. AND MY PROUDEST MOMENT OF BEING ABLE TO LEAD THIS ORGANIZATION IS THE EMPLOYEES WHO COME EVERY DAY TO DELIVER THIS INCREDIBLE SERVICE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS RESPONDING TO. THAT IS WHAT WE'RE CELEBRATING WITH THESE NUMBERS AND THIS BENCHMARKING AND THE CONTEXT THAT WE DO. SO I'M GONNA START A TOUR OF FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES STARTING NEXT WEEK, AND THESE ARE THE MESSAGES THAT THE FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES ARE GONNA HEAR FROM ME, BUT FROM US IN MANAGEMENT, AND OF COURSE THE BOARD ON THE INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT THEY HAVE ACHIEVED. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT NATIONALLY IS HAPPENING, AND EVEN IN TEXAS, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT. I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, SO, UH, THAT IS MY PRESIDENT'S REPORT HERE. IT, IT FLOWS RIGHT IN WELL WITH THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A MOMENT NOW THAT, UH, WE ARE SEEING, UH, A GREAT PLAN COME TOGETHER AND, AND EXECUTE IT. SO THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU, JOHN, GARY, AND, AND THE TEAM. UM, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW TEAM TEAMWORK HERE, SANTO KNOWS THAT RIGHT? WITH OPERATORS, TRAMEL KNOWS THAT WITH OPERATORS AND, AND AS WE CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR SERVICE, UM, THESE ARE PHENOMENAL GAINS THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE. SO HATS OFF TO YOU, UH, AND THE TEAM FOR EXECUTING. I KNOW THERE'S TRADE-OFFS. UM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TRADE-OFFS IN THIS LAST BUDGET, AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IT NEXT WEEK. I, WELL, UM, BUT UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE, THE, THE NEED IS, QUITE FRANKLY IN SAN ANTONIO AND THE GROWTH THAT'S HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY. UM, THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE NEED TO EXCEL ON. AND, AND I THINK THE AGENCY HAS RESPONDED TO CHALLENGES. SO I KNOW YOU SAID 7%, BUT 10%, 7.6, 7.6, LET'S BE PRECISE, 10% AS AN OPPORTUNITY. WHY NOT ASPIRE HERE? RIGHT? SURE. IF WE DON'T MEET IT, I, I GET IT. BUT, UM, WHAT WOULD THAT TAKE TO GET US TO THE 10%, UH, THERE? AND, AND, UH, I, I LOVE, UM, SEEING HOW OUR PEER, UH, COMPANIES ARE PROGRESSING IN LIGHT OF US. SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE DATA. I I THINK YOU'VE SEEN THIS BOARD VERY INTERESTED IN BEING, UH, DATA-DRIVEN, UH, IN SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING. SO I APPRECIATE ALSO, UM, THE BACKGROUND THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING BEHIND THIS. THE TRUSTEE ALL DID IT. YES. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM BECAUSE I LOOK AT IT AS, YOU HAVE GIVEN US SOME OF THAT, THAT DATA, BUT THAT'S WORKFORCE HELPING PEOPLE GO TO WORK. YEP. AND YOU KNOW, I DON'T LIKE FOR PEOPLE TO CONTINUAL SAY WE'RE A A POOR CITY. WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT WORK EACH AND EVERY DAY. AND WHEN WE CAN AFFORD TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM TO HELP THEM GET TO THOSE JOBS, WE WERE A, A CITY ON THE MOVE. UH, AND JOHN, GARY, MY QUESTION IS, BECAUSE I KNOW THE DATA WAS UP THERE ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES, AND I KNOW THEY GET REIMBURSED QUITE A BIT MORE THAN WE DO FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO HOW DOES THIS TRANSLATE AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT SHOWING THOSE NUMBERS, UH, THIS NEXT TIME? AND WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY TO, TO GO TO THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND, UM, IF YOU CAN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIMME AN ANSWER RIGHT NOW. NO, YOU KNOW, NO, NO, NO. IT, IT, IT, AND IT'S, IT'S THE QUESTION I THINK YOU'RE ASKING YOURSELVES, RIGHT? WHAT CAN YOU BRING, WHAT RESOURCES CAN YOU DIRECT? THAT'S THE SAME QUESTIONS THAT IF, IF WE HAVE A RECIPE THAT'S WORKING IN, IN FACT, WE'RE GONNA DO MORE OF IS START EVEN DIVING INTO THOSE SUCCESSES TO REALLY SEE, YOU KNOW, EVEN PRIORITIZING WHERE YOUR NEXT DOLLARS THAT WE ARE GONNA FREE UP OR, OR FIND OR ATTRACT FROM THE FEDS OR, OR, OR WHEREVER ELSE. WHERE SHOULD WE PUT THOSE FIRST? WELL, WE HAVE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHERE THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT CAN, CAN BECOME, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THOSE KIND OF DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GREAT NEWS HERE. UH, I KNOW, UH, THESE HAVE BEEN LONG WEEKS. WE HAVE ONE MORE ITEM TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. UH, IT WILL HOPEFULLY BE BRIEF, UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA [Additional Item] GO INTO CLOSED SESSION RIGHT NOW. UM, TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2026, AND THE TIME NOW IS 6 46, UH, PM AND THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES. [01:40:01] WE'LL OFFICIALLY GO INTO A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION AS PERMITTED UNDER THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT. THE ITEMS WE'LL DISCUSS DURING THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION ARE AS FOLLOWS. ITEM 10 ENTITLED REAL ESTATE EVENTS, RAPID TRANSIT EAST WEST CORRIDOR, SILVER LINE REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION, WHICH IS ALLOWED AS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.07. ONE ENTITLED CONSTITUTION CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY AND SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 ENTITLED REAL ESTATE, UH, PROPERTY ITEM NUMBER 11 ENTITLED CYBERSECURITY BRIEFING, WHICH IS ALLOWED AS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.07. ONE ENTITLED CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY AND 5 5 1 0.0761 ENTITLED CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY. AND ITEM 12 ENTITLED LEGAL BRIEFING, WHICH IS ALLOWED AS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 51 0.07, ONE ENTITLED CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY, ALL PERSONS WHO ARE AUTHORIZED TO ATTEND THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE SMALL CONFERENCE ROOM. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY NOT ATTEND OR MONITOR THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING IN ANY MANNER. THANK YOU. OKAY, AS WE'RE WALKING IN, I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND READ THIS NOW, AS WE'RE WALKING OUT, UH, LET'S SEE, WHAT STATEMENT DO I HAVE TO READ AS WE COME BACK? COME BACK OUT. I DON'T THINK IT'S HERE. ALL RIGHT. IT IS NOW, WHAT TIME IS IT? 7:33 PM AND WE ARE OFFICIALLY OUT OF A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS 10, 11, AND 12. NO DELIBERATIONS OF PUBLIC POLICY OR VOTE TAKING OCCURRED DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, WE ALREADY HEARD THE PRESIDENCY REPORT. MAY IT IS NOW, UH, ADJOURNMENT. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND? SECOND MOTION AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. FIRST TIME FROM ANYWHERE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.