Fiesta San Antonio, or “Fiesta,” is a joyful celebration held in the City of San Antonio, Texas, to salute those who fought in the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.

Both skirmishes took place during the Texas Revolution; the victory of San Jacinto gave the Mexican state of Texas its independence to become the self-governing Republic of Texas.

Founded in 1891, Fiesta has long been San Antonio’s signature heritage event. Modern-day Fiesta spans 10 days at the end of March, incorporating parades, pageantry, fairs, food, philanthropy, and art celebrations across multiple cultural venues in San Antonio.

Fiesta attracts over 2.5 million visitors every year which makes parking for single-occupant vehicles at a premium. Festivalgoers must get creative about their travel to and from the widespread event.

This year, two of WGI’s own Mobility EITs, Alexander Vigil & Layla Avalos, could not resist adding a bit of research and friendly competition to their night out with friends:

Which mode choice—between Uber’s ridesharing service and San Antonio’s public transportation service VIA—would provide the most timely, convenient, and cost-effective service during such a large-scale event?

Read on to hear from Layla and Alex about their respective travel experiences to and from “A Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA)”, a festival held in La Villita Historic Village, located within the city’s urban core.

The four-night festival held in the heart of downtown San Antonio celebrates the city’s diverse cultural legacy and hosts over 85,000 attendees annually.

The rideshare vs public transportation argument includes many additional variables but the results from Alex and Layla’s experiment were quite eye-opening.

THE RESULTS

Want to learn about your options for promoting mode shift from traditional travel modes to active and sustainable modes, especially during special events? Contact WGI’s experts today!