San Antonio Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Meeting — November 3, 2026

The San Antonio Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met on November 3, 2026, from 2:05 p.m. to 3:54 p.m. with a quorum. Chair Maki Rodriguez presided. The committee approved minutes, received a Waymo autonomous-vehicle presentation, received a VIA transit safety presentation, and advanced a Council Consideration Request from Councilmember Mike White on floodplain tree planting.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the meeting minutes with a correction; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Bianca Maldonado, president of the Monticello Park Neighborhood Association, commented on all three items. On VIA, she raised concerns about seven routes on Fredericksburg, 4,000 users in the area, inadequate bus-stop infrastructure and restrooms, fatalities at bus stops, a recent bus-stop closure in a dense pedestrian area, need for designated transit police, trash on buses, vendors blocking sidewalks, and 311 not resolving cases; she urged calling supervisors in real time. She also called for more trees and green space in floodplain areas. She said a Waymo vehicle nearly hit her in an HEB parking lot and that autonomous vehicles should operate on streets, not in neighborhoods.

Discussion Items

• Waymo: Anabel Chain and Dr. Robert Chang presented. They said San Antonio had 170 roadway fatalities in 2024, with significant cyclist and pedestrian deaths, and argued autonomous driving can improve safety. Waymo described airport-to-downtown service, 100 miles of coverage in the district, 12 employees with benefits, 24/7 operations, presence in 14 other U.S. cities, and global operations. The vehicle uses 29 cameras, radar, microphones, 3D imaging, and AI; Waymo cited a 270 million-mile safety benchmark and a 95% reduction in injuries or crashes compared with human drivers. On privacy, they said audio is off unless the support button is pressed, interior cameras are for lost items or medical emergencies, there is no facial recognition or advertising use, and data can be deleted. Jobs include fleet deployment, sensor work, and charging, with first-generation roles not requiring a four-year degree.
• Council members asked about coverage, camera retention, accident data, waitlists, highway operations, senior-center transport, empty-vehicle congestion, neighborhood routing, construction zones, liability insurance, first-responder training, and expansion. Waymo said it does not operate on San Antonio highways, has no imminent expansion plan, and has state and local insurance requirements; it could not provide insurance limits at the meeting. Council members raised District 1 impacts, including Indianola and Durango, no sidewalks, and an airport route using Broadway rather than freeways. A member asked Waymo to operate only when there is demand to reduce empty-vehicle congestion. Another asked about construction-zone incidents; Waymo said it is training its system to be more sensitive to construction and missing signage. The chair said state law limits local regulation and noted initial neutrality, while saying some human drivers should not be on the road and AV replacement could be useful.
• VIA: Tom Marks, Jamont Broad, Joseph Rose, and Sean Cage presented on operator and passenger safety. VIA said it has 1,058 bus drivers, service until about 12:30 a.m. while working toward 24-hour service, a 1,240-square-mile service area from Sandy Oaks to St. Hedwig and from Trader Village to Alamo Ranch, more than 1,000 bus stops with seating and shade, and daily service to more than 2 million people in Bexar County. Safety measures include licensed security officers at maintenance centers 24/7, transit police 24/7, cameras, vehicle tracking, alarms, see-something-say-something reporting, a passenger code of conduct, shelter and lighting improvements, and a bus-stop safety button that extends lighting for at least 50 minutes. VIA also described its emergency command center and federal Safety Management System. Training includes de-escalation, customer service, mental-health awareness, annual refreshers, post-incident review, and return-to-work training after 30 days absence. VIA said it partners with 129 nonprofits and uses $3 million for direct rider assistance and discounted fares. VIA said the most common incidents are vehicle collisions and verbal altercations; robberies are not frequent, and 400 operators have clean records over 1 to 3 million miles.
• Council members asked about homelessness outreach and connecting riders to housing, police shift changes and bus-stop monitoring, lighting complaints from Monticello Park, shelter placement, heat islands, and fare enforcement. VIA said it is open to partnerships with Metro Health and housing providers, that transit police patrol 24/7 and SAPD can be dispatched through a 10-digit number, and that it has identified some shelter and lighting locations. Councilmember DeRete Gavito thanked VIA for meeting at a bus station and for rapid action. VIA committed to attend a November 16 meeting on VIA service and businesses affected by construction. The chair stated that if there were any interest in a pilot or move to replace VIA buses with autonomous vehicles, there should be robust community engagement and no surprises; VIA agreed.
• Floodplain tree planting: Ross José of Parks and Recreation presented a Council Consideration Request from Councilmember Mike White, received March 30 and discussed with the community in May. The request would formalize a program to plant and maintain trees in floodplains using the tree mitigation fund. Staff cited UDC 35-523, which allows planting on public and private property and maintenance for up to three years. Staff said more than 10,800 trees were planted in these areas in FY 2024-26, and the current budget includes 644 trees, with 37% of new non-residential trees in floodplain areas within 100 feet. A case study with Councilmember DeRete Gavito would bring 400 trees to Woodland Park to stabilize banks and reduce water entering the land. Staff recommended no policy change, but a formal framework coordinated with Public Works and the River Authority to avoid flood impacts. Councilmember Corr asked about cost; staff said it is already budgeted and would not change. Councilmember Munguía asked about updated floodplain maps; staff said it is working with the River Authority. Councilmember DeRete Gavito supported the item and mentioned Woodland Park irrigation, birds, heat islands, and Bandera medians.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes approved with a correction.
• No formal vote on Waymo; the committee received the presentation and requested follow-up on neighborhood routing, construction-zone performance, liability and insurance information, first-responder training, demand-based deployment, and community engagement before any autonomous bus replacement.
• No formal vote on VIA; the committee received the safety presentation, and VIA committed to the November 16 meeting and follow-up on lighting, 311 complaints, and partnerships.
• The tree-planting CCR was referred to the December 3 agenda for formal adoption; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.