Chair of VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees
Driving San Antonio Into the Future
By Rudy Arispe | Photography by David Teran
Laura Cabanilla knows all too well how the lack of transportation directly affects an individual trying to move forward in the job market.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been in positions where I wanted to bring in interns, whether they were in college or high school, but oftentimes those coming from the South Side, East Side, or West Side couldn’t get to their internships,” said Cabanilla, Chair of the VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees. “They would start off fine for a while and then drop off, saying that their mother couldn’t bring them, or they had no way to get there. So, I’ve seen the critical need for transportation, why it’s important, and how it relates to economic mobility.”
As VIA Board Chair, Cabanilla is committed to ensuring all residents have access to transportation, whether it be to get them to and from work, school, entertainment events, or any other local destination. She’s been working diligently alongside VIA President & CEO Jon Gary Herrera and the 11-member board of trustees to make it happen.
For instance, under Cabanilla’s leadership, VIA achieved record operator hiring, including 226 net-new operators since 2025, considered a key factor in improving service. VIA currently employs about 1,025 full-time operators, she said. A record in the agency’s nearly 50-year history.
“If we don’t have operators, we can’t increase frequency of service,” Cabanilla said. “Pre-pandemic, we had some of the best ridership numbers. Post-pandemic, we’re getting there, almost 33 million. That’s our target this year. So it was intentional for Jon Gary and the whole agency to focus on hiring. We’ve been recruiting and retaining talent, hiring internally, getting the word out about VIA’s culture, and letting people know why it’s one of the best places to work in San Antonio.”
Furthermore, VIA has advanced transformative system improvements, including accelerating the Better Bus Plan to 70% completion as of August 2026, nearly three years ahead of schedule. VIA’s Better Bus Plan is designed to deliver faster, more direct service on traditional bus routes, according to its website.
“When (the plan) was rolled out, it was projected to take six years to complete,” Cabanilla explained. “I’m proud to say the Better Bus Plan is ahead of schedule. Now we’re just waiting for the Green and Silver lines to go into operation, and then we’ll be 100% complete. Shaving off four years is a critical achievement that the agency has been able to do, and we have seen a lot of success year to year. Ridership has increased by 2 million trips this year, and this is attributed to our increase in bus operators.”
Additionally, VIA has made major frequency upgrades across the network and continued progress on Advanced Rapid Transit implementation. The agency has also made it easier to purchase fares with tap-to-pay capabilities so that riders don’t have to worry about having cash or coins on hand, has expanded late-night service on key routes, and has increased frequencies, shortening wait times. Advanced Rapid Transit includes the upcoming Green Line, connecting Brooks and the San Antonio International Airport, and the Silver Line running east-west.
Cabanilla and her fellow trustees also understand how important transportation is for school and college students to get to their campuses. “Thanks to Councilwoman (Marina Alderete) Gavito, middle and high school students can ride the bus for free through the VIA Annual Student Pass Program,” she said, adding that the goal of the initiative is to reduce student absenteeism. “We’ve already been able to process 1,700 student passes this year. There are many students who need the bus to access education.”
VIA President & CEO Herrera added: “When a student can count on getting to school, everything else becomes possible. I rode VIA to school growing up, so I know firsthand what reliable transportation means for a student’s success.”
Cabanilla, whose full-time position is with USAA as the Director of Corporate Impact, has high hopes for the ongoing revitalization and development of downtown San Antonio, especially with the planned Sports and Entertainment District in conjunction with a new arena for the San Antonio Spurs. She would like to see more residents make the trip down there, where a vibrant city life awaits them.
“The future of downtown will include mobility,” she said. “The strongest downtowns are connected to neighborhoods, jobs, businesses, entertainment, and culture. So investing in transit is investing in economic development, which allows our residents and visitors to experience a different way of life. That connectivity all centers around downtown.”
And she adds: “We want VIA to be part of the next chapter of downtown. We’re banking on success, and we will not disappoint our residents with the services we’re going to deliver in the near future.”
As chair of the Board of Trustees, Cabanilla knows she has her work cut out for her. She’s leading the agency through a period of immense change, and Cabanilla knows what’s on the line for the community. It’s in her nature to lean into hard work and push for positive outcomes, and Cabanilla says she’ll continue to do all she can to keep San Antonio moving.
