To the editor:
Alexandria’s DASH buses carried a record 6.9 million riders last fiscal year. Now, to close a budget gap, DASH has proposed emergency service cuts that could begin Jan. 31, 2027. I, and others in Grassroots Alexandria, do not support cuts that fall hardest on the least wealthy of our neighbors.
DASH riders are not a cross-section of the city. In DASH’s most recent onboard survey, three in four riders were people of color, nearly two-thirds were living below the poverty level and the median rider household income was $38,800. Last year, riders living with low income took 3.7 million DASH trips. Riders without a car took 2 million. The DASH bus is a lifeline to work, school, the doctor and the grocery store.
DASH overspent its FY2026 budget, but this was not malfeasance. After an investigation, Alexandria Transit Company Board Chair David Kaplan reported no evidence of fraud or embezzlement. Instead, the money kept DASH’s aging fleet running on schedule.
Since then, DASH cut $3.45 million, and riders already feel it. In September, with one bus in three sidelined for repairs, missed trips nearly doubled. Much of the remaining funding gap, $2.5 million, reflects the high price of diesel.
Proposed cuts would end Line 30 service between the West Alexandria Transit Center and Van Dorn Metro. They would also cut Lines 33 and 34 to hourly service off-peak and on weekends. Frequency matters: After the City funded 30-minute service on Line 32, weekend ridership rose 46% over the prior year.
Some residents suggest bringing back fares. DASH reported that restarting fare collection would take about three years and more than $8 million, with no meaningful revenue until about 2030. Fares would burden those least able to pay.
We ask City Council to close DASH’s fuel-driven gap, fund repairs to keep more buses on the road and continue our city’s policy of half-hour service, or better, systemwide.
Readers can weigh in. DASH’s online survey on the proposed reductions, at dashbus.com/emergency-reduction, closes Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. The DASH Board will hold a public hearing and make its decision Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at DASH headquarters, 3000 Business Center Drive.
-Jonathan Krall, Grassroots Alexandria
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