One bus slid on a patch of ice, causing a 45-minute delay.
SAN ANTONIO — A few VIA bus riders on a busy stretch of Fredericksburg Road experienced an unexpected delay when the transit company paused service for about 45 minutes due to icy conditions.
A statement from VIA said one bus slid on a section of ice at the intersection of Crossroads Boulevard.
The bus did not make impact with anything, coming to rest at the westbound curb, according to the release.
The release reads:
“There were no injuries in that incident, and we have no reported injuries associated with the winter storm.”
Passengers left waiting at bus stops during the cold expressed surprise at the delay.
One man, wrapped in a lightweight blanket for warmth, said he was on his way to a plasma center so that he could have enough money to eat.
When told of the delay, he prayed for relief, saying, “Universe please guide us and lead us. Help those who are out there. Help the bus get us to our place and our destination safely, amen.”
A woman who said she was trying to get home with groceries said, “Right now they’re all sliding everywhere so we can’t go nowhere!”
A couple shivering on the southbound side of Fredericksburg said they were waiting for a Route 100 bus and they were surprised to learn of the pause in service.
They said getting to the store to pay bills was going to be a much colder experience than they anticipated.
Several stops along the way did have electronic notices warning riders about the delays.
The VIA statement reads:
“Safety is VIA’s top priority. Since well before last week’s winter storms, VIA has been monitoring existing weather conditions and forecasts, working with the City’s Emergency Operations Center and continually assessing conditions across the agency’s 1,210-square-mile service area, which includes 14 cities and unincorporated Bexar County. During incidents such as these, conditions evolve as weather changes. Our team continually assesses those conditions and implements detours and may pause operations, when necessary. Today, near Fredericksburg Road and Crossroads, we paused travel on that stretch of roadway for about 45 minutes to assess safe travel and then detoured around that impassable section of roadway. During that time, VIA dispatched operations and safety supervisors as well as transit police along the impacted routes and picked up five customers who were waiting at stops. They were taken to an active service opportunity to continue on their trips.”