At a City Council meeting last week, City Council member Abdel Elnoubi and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley introduced a proposal that could change the way Alexandria City High School students get to school.
Elnoubi and Bagley, with the unanimous backing of the City Council, asked staff to explore the utilization of the DASH bus network to transport for high school students, eliminating the need for school buses at the high school level.
The proposal is still in its earliest stages of discussion and study of the cost vs savings to DASH, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and the City of Alexandria is almost certain as the city moves into its annual budget process.
“This would have several benefits,” Elnoubi said. “Right now there’s a shortage of bus drivers, so that would free up some resources for ACPS to focus on middle and elementary school transportation. We also have budget issues, so anywhere we can work together to save some money would be great.”
The proposal stirred up discussion in the comments and the pros, cons and lingering questions left to be answered as the proposal moves forward into study and discussion.
Some noted that DC public schools do not have school buses and use public transportation to get to and from school. One ACHS student noted that Dash buses are regularly crammed as-is during the times when students are coming to and from school and that DASH routes aren’t designed with schools in mind, meaning students may have to transfer buses. Elnoubi said the proposal would likely require an expansion of DASH, likely providing more service during those times.
City Manager Jim Parajon said the feasibility could be studied as part of the budget process and city staff and leaders could work with the School-Council subcommittee for further details.
