The head of VIA Metropolitan Transit says the agency has seen a jump in riders as they improve bus routes and cuts wait times.

Speaking at the State of Transit luncheon at the Boeing Center at Tech Port, Jon Gary Herrera told the crowd VIA has seen an increase of 2 million trips across its transit system so far, compared to the same time last year -most of that from its traditional, fixed-route bus services.

Though that still doesn't put ridership above a historic high, Herrera confirmed to KSAT that it is the best it has been since the COVID-19 pandemic.