DASH Board Approves Fare Increase And Tentative Cuts For FY 2011

(Thursday) March 4, 2010

The Alexandria Transit Company (ATC) Board of Directors held a public hearing in conjunction with their February Board meeting, to receive public comment on a proposed $.25 increase in the base fare and potential service reductions slated to go into effect in July 2010.  The proposed reductions are cost-saving measures to potential City budget reductions expected for Fiscal Year 2011.  ATC evaluated service on routes with the lowest ridership and developed criteria based on reductions that would have the least impact to riders and the availability to alternate transit connections should cuts be necessary.  The Board also approved a set of guiding principles for their FY 2011 Budget deliberations and identified non-service related cuts and a fare increase as preferable to service reductions.

“DASH receives many requests for service in areas we currently do not serve and for more service in areas that we do.  This is a time that we should be growing the system instead of reducing service,” stated Sandy Modell, ATC General Manager.  “But we understand that the City has funding constraints and that all City services may be asked to make sacrifices.”

Approximately a dozen people spoke at the hearing and most were concerned about the proposed reductions.  Many of the riders spoke of how DASH is their lifeline and that their decisions to live in Alexandria were based on having good transit service.

The Board approved the $.25 increase in the base fare, a $.25 increase in the rail-to-bus transfer charge, and a $5.00 increase in the price of the monthly DASH Pass.  However, the Board approved the proposed service reductions as supplemental budget reductions and will only implement the cuts if the amount of the subsidy DASH receives from the City is reduced.