SATX-NBF: Impact 10/27/2025

The wait for New Braunfels microtransit service—Ride the Rio!—is approaching its last stop.

The microtransit service, which will service approximately 47 miles of New Braunfels, is expected to launch Nov. 18, City Manager Robert Camareno said at the New Braunfels Economic Development Foundation quarterly luncheon Oct. 21.

The update: The contract to operate the program was awarded to River North Transit, a subsidiary of national TransitTech company Via, on Oct. 13. Via is separate from VIA Metropolitan Transit, the public transit service used in San Antonio, according to the city’s website.

How it works: Ride the Rio! will have six active minivans in use for the program, with two on standby. Half of the fleet will also be Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and wheelchair accessible, according to the city.

Riders can pay using cash, credit or debit cards, or over the phone. The service will be available from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.

A veteran-owned cleaning service—named Office Pride—is now operating in New Braunfels.

What you need to know: The locally owned franchise began serving the New Braunfels and surrounding areas Oct. 14. Office Pride is owned by franchisees Rick and Stefanie Bottorff.

Office Pride offers industrial cleaning and disinfection services to an array of commercial areas such as:

• Office buildings
• Banks
• Commercial complexes
• Small business offices
• Medical clinics
• Hospitals

• Serving New Braunfels and surrounding areas

Travis County officials approved a $124,953 feasibility study Oct. 21 to explore a potential commuter rail line between Austin and San Antonio.

The big picture: Championed by Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the study will examine passenger rail options along state-managed land near highways, potentially connecting the Amtrak station in San Antonio to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Brown said the goal is to use existing corridors like SH 130 and I-10 to avoid major land acquisition and speed up development.

Why it matters: Brown said a rail line could remove up to 25% of I-35 traffic between the two cities as the corridor’s population—projected to reach 8 million by 2050—continues to grow. The study will run 175 days and include engineering, ridership and cost analyses.

Zooming out: The project complements a separate TxDOT study reviewing 11 alternatives along I-35, including commuter rail and multimodal lanes. Rail ranked as the top community preference in 2024 public feedback sessions.

New businesses in Boerne and New Braunfels, including a new automotive headquarters, headline Community Impact coverage of the San Antonio metro the week of Oct. 20-24.

• A new primary care doctor and a new country store open in Boerne
• Vaughan Automotive opens up a Boerne headquarters
• Local officials hold summit to discuss I-35 growth
• 20 business updates in New Braunfels
• Comal County transitional housing project sees progress
• Early voting begins in North San Antonio

Two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot would impact the operation and oversight of Texas’ judicial system if approved by voters.

The details: State Proposition 3 seeks to require judges to deny bail for certain felony offenses, keeping more defendants in jail as they await trial. Proponents of the measure, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, said in June that it would improve public safety by keeping violent offenders behind bars.

Proposition 12 would rework the 13-member State Commission on Judicial Conduct, allowing the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners and requiring most sanctions for judges accused of misconduct to be issued publicly. The bipartisan proposition faced pushback from some House Democrats who expressed concerns that allowing the governor to appoint a majority of commissioners would politicize the nonpartisan judicial conduct commission and give Abbott more power to remove from office judges whom he does not agree with.

Zooming out: The measures are among 17 state propositions being considered by Texas voters in the Nov. 4 election.