You’ve probably seen VIA trans buses, which transport the city’s disabled passengers. The buses will have a different look soon.
On Wednesday, VIA voted to outsource operations to a Dallas company, threatening the jobs of hundreds in the community.
MV Transportation, a Dallas company, will take its place. That means VIA trans driver Frank Ayala, who’s been driving for the company for several years, might be out of a job.
“Right now, everybody feels like they just got punched in the face,” Ayala said.
For Ayala, it’s personal. His father had both legs amputated.
“I know what [the disabled community is] going through,” he said. “I do it from the heart and that's what I like about working here.”
Ayala worries what the switch will mean for the thousands of San Antonians like his father.
President and CEO of Star Shuttle, John Walker, said that he’s invested many years into making his facilities operable for the needs of the city.
“It takes a month to train a paratransit operator properly,” Walker said. “This new contract starts in three weeks.”
Walker says that he employs 300 people under the VIA contract and transports about 47,000 passengers a month in the city. But according to VIA, the decision was made based on the ranking of four companies vying for the contract.
A spokesperson with the board said that MV Transportation earned the contract because they had the highest combination of pricing and technical scores.
Star Shuttle came in last place.
However, Walker disagrees with the ranking. Instead, he worries that there may be a possible conflict of interest.
In a statement, VIA said that the vice chair of the board, Patricia Rodriguez, filed a conflict of interest form and abstained from any discussion or action pertaining to the vote.
The spokesperson alleged that Rodriguez did not speak with staff or board trustees and was not present for the vote on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for VIA said MV is looking to hire many Star Shuttle operators and will set up a hiring center soon.
The first phase of the switch starts November 1. In the meantime, Walker plans to file a protest.
