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Service Offers port Photo courtesy Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Photo courtesy VIA Metropolitan Transit Prímo buses are equipped with a self-secure wheelchair system, specialized bike racks at the rear door, liquid crystal display monitors, near-level boarding and security cameras. PRÍMO FEATURES To enable San Antonio residents to travel faster and with more comfort, Prímo offers several distinctive features. Modern, stylized 60-foot buses by North American Bus Industries carry up to 90 passengers (45 sitting and 45 standing) and provide service every 10 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends. Powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), a cost-efective and more environmentally-friendly fuel, the buses are hinged near the center to negotiate tight corners in city streets. Te buses are also equipped with a self-secure wheelchair system that allows users to strap themselves rather than requiring the operator to assist, specialized bike racks at the rear door, liquid crystal display monitors to provide VIA information, near-level boarding and security cameras. "People love the new buses," says Arturo Herrera, strategic planner at VIA. Along the Prímo route are two large terminals — the Medical Center Transit Center and the Westside Multimodal Transit Center. The Medical Center Transit Center, built on a 7.5-acre site, serves Prímo buses and functions as a major transfer hub. Te facility, designed with a modern art-deco style, includes a spacious 60seat lobby, 128 parking spaces with additional parking for the disabled, overhead canopies for customers waiting outside, bike racks, security cameras, and real-time travel information outside and inside the building. Te terminal, which opened the same day Prímo began service, also features sustainable elements, such as solar arrays to supplement its electrical power and drought tolerant landscaping. Eventually, the transit center will also provide parking/plug-in stations for vehicles that use green technologies. The Medical Center Transit Center is one of two large terminals along the Prímo route. The terminal serves Prímo buses and functions as a major transfer hub for many of VIA's regular buses. West of downtown San Antonio is the Westside Multimodal Transit Center, which is being constructed in two phases. Phase 1, scheduled to be completed in March 2013, includes the renovation of the historic International & Great Northern Railroad Depot into a passenger waiting facility complete with a customer information center, ticket sales offce and other indoor transit amenities. Te facility also will house VIA's new police headquarters. Outdoors, a transfer facility with on-street shelters and realtime passenger information will be provided. Phase 2 of the project, which will be completed in May 2015, includes the construction of a new transit plaza just east of the Phase 1 project. Another attractive feature of Prímo is the use of dedicated stops, called stations. Between the two terminals are eight Prímo stations in each direction. Unlike traditional VIA stops that are small and placed frequently along a route, Prímo stations are larger and spaced further apart. Constructed with a unique canopy look, each station is 100 feet long and 12 feet deep with a six-foot sidewalk behind it. Stations include several amenities, such as benches, security cameras, vehicle arrival information displays and raised platforms for ADA access. Later APRIL 2013 mETRO mAGAZINE > 35