By 1902, four street railway companies were consolidated into the San Antonio Traction Co. And in 1917, the San Antonio Traction Co. merged with the utility San Antonio Gas & Electric Co. forming the San Antonio Public Service Co. In 1942, the transit system was sold to the San Antonio Transit Co., while the city took over the gas and electric operations.
San Antonio had several streets which, for a period of time, were served both by streetcars and buses. Some new bus routes were introduced to serve areas beyond the ends of the streetcar routes, or to provide service to other areas not served by the streetcars. On Broadway, South Presa, and South Flores, the bus routes originally operated express from downtown to serve the outer portions of those streetcar routes, with rail service abandoned on those outer portions. Separate columns are thus provided for the introduction of bus service and the discontinuance of streetcars. "New Bus" indicates routes where there never were streetcars.
Cincinnati originally had streetcar service over the outer segment, as a branch off the Ruiz streetcar route. The inner portion of the route was originally created as a bus route in 1924, with the route extended in 1926 and replacing the streetcar segment.
The first major conversions of streetcars to buses were on 2/2/33, mostly on San Antonio's southeast side. And over the next few months, the rest of the system was converted, with exact dates unavailable.
Prior to 1978, when Via Metropolitan Transit took over the San Antonio Transit System, route numbers were indicated on the route maps, generally numbered in alphabetical order. But route numbers were not used on destination signs or bus stop signs. Routes were known to the public by the name, former route names are indicated in parentheses.
Many new bus routes were created in 1978, shortly after the formation of Via. Not listed are bus routes created later by Via. Also not listed are crosstown routes, only two of which existed prior to the formation of Via.
Route Route Name Buses Streetcars Number (Former Name) Introduced Discontinued 1 N. Flores (Beacon Hill) 1933 1933 2 Blanco Road 1940's New Bus 3 San Pedro Ave 1933 1933 4 San Pedro Ave 1933 1933 5 McCullough 1924 2/ 2/33 8 N. St. Mary's 1933 New Bus 9 Broadway 1928 1933 10 Broadway 1928 1933 14 Perrin Beitel 1978 New Via Bus 16 Fort Sam Houston 10/ /23 1933 17 I-35 Express 1970's New Bus 20 New Braunfels 1940's New Bus 22 Hays 1933 1933 24 E. Houston (Exposition) 1926 New Bus 25 E. Commerce (SP Depot) 1933 1933 26 M. L. King (Iowa) 1940's New Bus 28 Porter St. (Denver Hts.) 2/ 2/33 2/ 2/33 30 Rigsby Ave. 2/ 2/33 2/ 2/33 32 Steves Ave. (Highlands) 1930's New Bus 34 South St. Mary's 1924 New Bus 36 South Presa St. 1928 2/ 2/33 42 Roosevelt 1978 New Via Bus 43 South Flores St. 1925 1933 44 Plesanton 1940's New Bus 46 Commercial (Edwards) 2/ 2/33 2/ 2/33 51 Nogalitos Street 1929 1933 54 S. Alamo (Collins Gardens) 1933 New Bus 62 Kirk 12/ 1/23 1933 64 US 90 Express 1978 New Via Bus 68 Guadalupe 1933 1933 70 Cesar Chavez 1978 New Via Bus 75 W. Commerce (Prospect Hill) 1933 1933 76 Old Hwy. 90 West Limited 1978 New Via Bus 77 Martin St. 1940's New Bus 79 Ruiz Street 1933 1933 82 Culebra 1933 New Bus 88 Bandera Rd 1978 New Via Bus 89 Cincinnati 1924 1926 90 Woodlawn 11/ /24 New Bus 90 Ingram Road 1978 New Via Bus 93 UTSA Exp. Crossroads 1970's New Bus 95 Fredericksburg 1925 New Bus 96 Vance Jackson (Dellview) 1940's New Bus 97 West Ave. 1926 New Bus Route Route Name Buses Streetcars Number (Former Name) Introduced DiscontinuedUnder Via Metropolitan Transit, routes numbered below 100 would radiate in and out of downtown San Antonio, generally numbered clockwise from north. Crosstown routes would be numbered in the 500's, neighborhood and suburban circulator routes would be numbered in the 600's.
Prior to the formation of Via, only two crosstown routes existed in San Antonio, created during the 1940's. The New Braunfels route was numbered 512 by Via, later restructured into route 20 serving downtown. And the Zarzamora route was numbered 520.