Starting later this month, people downtown can hop on and off a circulating evening shuttle at no cost in a pilot program launched by VIA Metropolitan Transit, Centro San Antonio and the city.

The shuttle service, which will use VIA’s antique-looking trolleys, starts March 28 and runs on a short route north and south on Navarro and St. Mary’s streets and east and west on Commerce and Market streets. The goal is to link hotels, restaurants and venues, including the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, the Majestic Theatre and the Convention Center.

The service will run from 6 p.m. until midnight Tuesday through Saturday, with 10 minutes between shuttles.

The $100,000 pilot program will last six months, city and VIA officials said. VIA is paying $50,000, while Centro and the city are each contributing $25,000. If the program goes well, officials said, it will be extended for another six months, with each group paying the same amount.

VIA had previously discussed calling the service the “Downtown Route” or “Entertainment Route,” but it will be known as “the E,” officials announced Tuesday.

VIA trustees have been supportive of the shuttle, although some have said in discussions since October that they wished the route were longer and connected more destinations. Some have also countered the perception that it could be a service only for people able to afford a meal at a River Walk restaurant and a performance downtown, saying they think people who work at downtown venues would be frequent riders as well.

VIA staff at first proposed a three-month pilot program with a fare, but downtown stakeholders requested the longer trial run that would be free for passengers.

VIA officials have said they will evaluate ridership after the pilot. They are expecting 150 to 200 riders each night. Pat DiGiovanni, Centro CEO and president, said he also hoped riders would be surveyed and businesses would monitor whether the shuttle gives them a boost.

“It’s been received well, but obviously we’ll see the impact of it once it’s put in place on the 28th,” he said.

VIA officials have also floated the idea of a second shuttle — an art/culture route — that would connect downtown with museums and other destinations via Broadway, although a specific pilot program has not yet been proposed publicly.

Together, the two routes would overlap with much of the same territory covered by VIA’s planned downtown streetcar, a project that was shelved last summer in the face of political opposition.

This story has been updated with new details of the funding arrangement.

djoseph@express-news.net

Twitter: @DrewQJoseph