VIA Metropolitan Transit announced it will debut eight new all-electric buses this year as part of its ongoing commitment to greener transit options for San Antonio, according to the agency's news release.

The addition of the 40-foot GILLIG buses expands VIA’s sustainable vehicle profile that includes nearly 500 buses fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG).

The vehicles, designed and manufactured in California, were procured through a federal grant award and delivered in December 2022. They will be charged at VIA’s bus yard and maintenance facility, where the agency constructed a new station to support electric vehicles.

VIA added that is testing the “Arc” buses, named for an electrical charge, training staff, and operators, and finalizing the new charging infrastructure.

“The addition of new all-electric buses keeps VIA moving in the right direction with green technologies that are advancing to a point that makes them practical as well as sustainable,” said Jeffrey C. Arndt, president/CEO. “VIA’s CNG fleet conversion delivered up to a 97% reduction of harmful emissions from the vehicles they replaced and put us on the road to a cleaner, greener future.”