Public transportation in SA (San Antonio, Mission: rental, lofts, home)

[kal49]

Hi,

I'm thinking about moving to San Antonio, about two miles away from downtown, close to Lonestar blvd. How's the public transportation in that area? I've google mapped this many times and checked out the VIA public transportation site several times..it looks possible? I know that San Antonio has done great improvements for cyclists, but I'm more into walking, running and taking the bus as to getting around town. I'm hoping that I can get a more detailed answer from someone who uses VIA public transportation than what I'm getting from google. Some other questions/concerns that I have with my move to/ close to downtown San Antonio: are there many gyms/ Fitness Centers in downtown? Are there grocery stores in downtown? I read that HEB is planning to build in downtown in the near future.. Where can I find running areas and running groups - can I run along the Riverwalk area? I know that the city has expanded the Riverwalk path.. Is Southtown a safe area to walk around at night? I hope to find a job in downtown and will use public transportation at night to get to and from downtown. Any information and suggestions will greatly help me with my decision! Thank you!

[Osborn89419]

Also interested in the public transportation part.

[iliveinsa]

Public transportation covers most of the city, but a lot of times it may not be that quick- a lot of bus routes go through downtown, so if you work downtown and know the bus schedule, you can probably get there without too much hassle.

You may have to transfer from one bus to another to get to a grocery store from yur house. Not that big of a deal, except that it might take 45-60 min instead of 10 in a car.

But there are downtown options. There are several smaller markets with grocery items, there is a walgreens and a cvs drugstore downtown where you can get most of your basics (bread, milk, ice cream, cereal, etc.)

From Lone star area, you should also check out UnCommon Fare, on cevallos, which has a small, but thoughtfully-chosen selection of grocery items.

On your other questions, you can definitely run on the riverwalk. It's easier to run in the sections of the river where there aren't lots of restaurants, but even there people run, esp. In the mornings when it's less crowded.

Downtown and southtown are very safe areas to walk.

[IntentionallyBlank]

Originally Posted by kal49

Hi,

I'm thinking about moving to San Antonio, about two miles away from downtown, close to Lonestar blvd. How's the public transportation in that area? I've google mapped this many times and checked out the VIA public transportation site several times..it looks possible? I know that San Antonio has done great improvements for cyclists, but I'm more into walking, running and taking the bus as to getting around town. I'm hoping that I can get a more detailed answer from someone who uses VIA public transportation than what I'm getting from google. Some other questions/concerns that I have with my move to/ close to downtown San Antonio: are there many gyms/ Fitness Centers in downtown? Are there grocery stores in downtown? I read that HEB is planning to build in downtown in the near future.. Where can I find running areas and running groups - can I run along the Riverwalk area? I know that the city has expanded the Riverwalk path.. Is Southtown a safe area to walk around at night? I hope to find a job in downtown and will use public transportation at night to get to and from downtown. Any information and suggestions will greatly help me with my decision! Thank you!

We use Via often, especially my oldest daughter (daily) and my husband. We live in Tobin Hill on the north side of downtown, so I don't have a lot of info on the routes by Lonestar, but I imagine it's similarly serviced. Most central routes are pretty frequent and reliable during the day, especially M-F. Going outside loop 410 can get tricky in spots. Medical center is serviced by Primo/BRT and runs about every 10 minutes during peak times. Very nice but can get crazy crowded. Have you tried Via's app? I use that and sometimes google or hop stop. Also, the buses have bike racks on the front, or in the case of Primo/BRT, inside the bus.

As far as gyms, I'm not super knowledgable. There is a gym on Travis in the Travis Lofts building, an MBS in King William, and a YMCA on the edge of Tobin Hill (281 and St. Mary's). There are probably others I don't know about. I go to the YMCA if I need to workout inside, but I usually just run outside. So, more about running: running the river, yes! It's wonderful. Sometimes it can get crowded, but it's easy to jump on and off. If there are too many other runners/cyclists/tourists for my comfort, I just head to street level for a bit. I do almost all my runs on the river, downtown, or up through Brackenridge into Olmos Park for some butt kicking hills. Great running in SA. There are several run groups in the area. I've been training with Downtown Run Group (check them out on FB), and it's a really nice group of people. Very welcoming group.

I'll come back later to answer your other questions. Kids are calling.

[kal49]

thank you so much for your response! Very helpful!

[kal49]

@IntentionallyBlank : Thank you so much for your response! Very informative and extremely helpful!

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by kal49

Hi,

I'm thinking about moving to San Antonio, about two miles away from downtown, close to Lonestar blvd. How's the public transportation in that area? I've google mapped this many times and checked out the VIA public transportation site several times..it looks possible? I know that San Antonio has done great improvements for cyclists, but I'm more into walking, running and taking the bus as to getting around town. I'm hoping that I can get a more detailed answer from someone who uses VIA public transportation than what I'm getting from google. Some other questions/concerns that I have with my move to/ close to downtown San Antonio: are there many gyms/ Fitness Centers in downtown? Are there grocery stores in downtown? I read that HEB is planning to build in downtown in the near future.. Where can I find running areas and running groups - can I run along the Riverwalk area? I know that the city has expanded the Riverwalk path.. Is Southtown a safe area to walk around at night? I hope to find a job in downtown and will use public transportation at night to get to and from downtown. Any information and suggestions will greatly help me with my decision! Thank you!

VIA:
There are a few bus routes that come through the Lone Star area (depending on where you are exactly) towards downtown. Once in downtown it's easy to transfer most places. the bus can be a pain in the suburbs, but is certainly tolerable in the downtown area.

Gyms: Others have mentioned the various buildings that have them, also there's a Y on Iowa St (Eastside Y, just east of the Alamodome). Not my favourite but it's very close.

Running: Downtown Run Group. I am not sure if they have a website but they're on facebook.
I usually run along the Riverwalk on the Mission Reach (through King William then south) or the Museum Reach (north of downtown). The "U" (where the restaurants are) is fine for running in the early morning, but otherwise not.

Grocery: Don't expect much from the planned HEB, it's little more than a convenience store. However, there are other small stores - Delivery Market, Hippos, Uncommon Fare. None I find terribly useful for my family, but for a single person that's probably sufficient.

Southtown is perfectly safe for walking around at night. Use caution, be conscientious of your surroundings as you would anywhere, but otherwise, no worries.

[staticwarp]

I'm really surprised at the semi positive reviews here. Via is usually a nightmare to use. If you have to take more than one bus to get to your destination, you are usually looking at a minimum of an hour, usually closer to two. A 10-15 minute drive generally translates into at least 1.5 hours on the bus. Many areas are underserved after "peak" periods, with routes stopping as early as 6pm. If you plan to use via at night, be ready to go home early or take a cab - even the busier routes shut down around midnight. Sunday bus service is even more laughable than the weekday schedules.

The transfer stations are kind of a joke. If you need to transfer from one bus to another at one of these stations or park-and-rides, about 50% of the time you'll be sitting at the stop light next to the bus station watching your connecting bus drive away. The drivers will not stop for you unless you're firmly planted at the stop (causing you to have to "chase the bus", which is prohibited) even if they're running early or late, and I've had drivers simply drive by me without stopping on multiple occasions even though I was present and visible at the stop.

Walking, running, and biking are popular in SA, but as hobbies - not a way to commute. don't believe the hype about the "big improvements" made for cyclists. Articles and buzz about this mostly refer to the nice bike trails that we have and the bike rental program downtown. Most bike lanes are narrow and littered with obstacles, many end abruptly with no warning. Motorist awareness of cyclist/pedestrian rights is quite low, most drivers seem to have a "get out of the road" mentality. roadside memorials to cyclists and pedestrians who have been hit are common. i can't count the number of times i've almost been run over at a crosswalk when the crossing signal is green.

San Antonio is very car-centric. There are so many places here where pedestrians are expressly prohibited, places where there is no crosswalk, dark streets with no sidewalk, bus stops with no shelter or place to sit. many of the main streets here are 6 lanes wide, and you'll often find yourself needing to cross the street without a crosswalk for half a mile to your left or right. people often have to just walk out in traffic and stand in the turn lane until an opportunity to rush to safety presents itself. I could go on. It is not a fun place to be a pedestrian.

That said, it is better than some places, and at least there is some attempt at public transit, even if it is somewhat ineffective. via's website/trip planner leave something to be desired, but i've heard that their apps work well. google maps is a better way to plan a bus trip, it works better than via's website.

SA is a pretty safe city, there are only a few areas where I would not feel safe walking alone at night and none of them are in or near downtown. If you're planning to live and play in the Southtown area, you really couldn't pick a better spot. It is without a doubt the most vibrant and interesting part of the city at this time, in my opinion.

There is no shortage of gyms in SA, you'll find one near you pretty much anywhere. Grocery stores are a different story in the downtown area, but there are lots of other options as mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by staticwarp

I'm really surprised at the semi positive reviews here.

Since the OP is planning to live and work in the Southtown/Downtown area, the expectations of bike commuting and public transportation are reasonable. Your comments definitely apply for the rest of SA, but while far from ideal, this area can work without a car (barely).

[kal49]

staticwrap and Chaka:Thank you so much for your responses! So helpful!