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ACPS to restore bus service for eligible students by Oct. 5 after walk zone pushback

Published September 28, 2026 at 3:45PM

School bus at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools started responding to families wanting school buses to return to their neighborhoods last week, and any eligible students will be able to ride on a bus starting by Monday, Oct. 5.

That was the message relayed to the Alexandria City School Board last Thursday night (Sept. 24) by Clinton Page, the school system’s chief accountability and research officer. Page said that ACPS started sending out their decisions on walk zone requests on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and will respond to all families by Wednesday, Sept. 30.

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ACPS targets intersections across Alexandria in rush to resolve bus dispute

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2026 at 9:15AM

School bus outside Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools staff are evaluating potential road hazards across the city this week as families await answers on how they can get school buses returned to their neighborhoods.

That was the message relayed at Monday night’s (Sept. 14) Joint City Council and School Board Subcommittee meeting. With a looming Sept. 30 deadline to respond to parent requests to reinstate bus service, city and ACPS staff laid out a process of evaluating public complaints.

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‘We did not get it right’: ACPS promises response to parents on bus route cuts by Sept. 30

By James Cullum

Published September 11, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated September 14, 2026 at 3:20PM

School bus at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Amid a surge of complaints, Alexandria City Public Schools says it will respond to requests to reinstate bus routes by the end of the month.

The school system is under fire for its new walk zones associated with new school boundaries. In the city’s heavily Latino neighborhood of Arlandria, a number of parents complained to the Alexandria City School Board on Thursday night (Sept. 10) that the changes have left kids without school buses in unsafe areas.

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Alexandria’s DASH ridership climbs as state evaluates Northern Virginia bus merger

By Emily Leayman

Published September 10, 2026 at 1:45PM

A DASH bus driver leaves the Braddock Road Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

As the state studies a potential consolidation of several Northern Virginia bus systems, year-over-year data showed Alexandria’s DASH continues to see ridership growth.

The data presented to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission on Sept. 3 focused on transit providers in Northern Virginia — Arlington Transit, City of Fairfax CUE, Alexandria DASH, Fairfax Connector, Loudoun County Transit, Metro and Virginia Railway Express.

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Acting superintendent says ACPS has ‘more work to do’ on bus eligibility as parents speak out

By James Cullum

Published August 28, 2026 at 3:45PM

Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor at the Alexandria School Board meeting on Aug. 27, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Families are decrying new walk zones for Alexandria City Public Schools, saying the changes force their children off school buses to walk along unsafe roadways.

A number of parents denounced the walk zones during the public comment period at the Alexandria City School Board meeting on Thursday night (Aug. 27). ACPS provides bus transportation for students living more than a mile from their elementary schools and more than a mile-and-a-half from Alexandria City High School.

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Alexandria mayor opposes idea of merging DASH into a regional bus system

By James Cullum

Published July 16, 2026 at 2:45PM

A bus driver waits outside the Van Dorn Metro station in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has joined other local leaders in opposing a potential merger of bus operations across multiple Northern Virginia localities.

Gaskins told ALXnow she is strongly opposed to the idea that Alexandria’s free DASH bus system should merge with Arlington Transit, the Fairfax Connector and CUE (City of Fairfax). Between now and November, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is compiling a report as part of the recently adopted biennial budget to consider cost savings and rider impacts of merging the local bus systems.

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Duke Street Transitway project nears full funding with $15M more from NVTA

By James Cullum

Published July 10, 2026 at 1:45PM

Duke Street and Cameron Station Boulevard (Staff photo by James Cullum)

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, on Thursday (July 9) unanimously approved a $15 million allocation toward the Duke Street Transitway Project.

With the allocation, NVTA has funded $102 million for the $102.5 million project, which will add more than four miles of bus rapid transit lanes along Duke Street between the King Street-Old Town Metro station and the city’s border with Fairfax County near the former Landmark Mall site. The project has been in the works for years and is in the design phase. The estimated completion date for the new lanes is Dec. 31, 2029.

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Alexandria asks NVTA for nearly $37M to fund transportation projects

By James Cullum

Published April 2, 2026 at 1:45PM

Traffic backup heading eastbound along Duke Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is seeking more than $36 million to fund two transportation projects as part of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority‘s six-year program.

The total funding amount in NVTA’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2031 Six Year Program is $1.265 billion. Alexandria’s share includes $15 million for bus rapid transit improvements in the second phase of the Duke Street Transitway, and $21.86 million for pedestrian and bicycle improvements at Eisenhower Avenue and S. Van Dorn Street. NVTA adopts its six-year program every two years, allocating regional tax revenues to multimodal transportation projects.

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New Alexandria bus route with service to downtown D.C. launches this month

By Katie Taranto

Published December 5, 2025 at 2:45PM

A Metrobus rides in the snow (via Metro Forward/Facebook)

A new Metrobus route in Alexandria will offer transfer-free service to downtown D.C. starting later this month.

The new A29 bus will begin service on Sunday, Dec. 14, with rides offered every 24 minutes in the morning and afternoon via the I-395 Express Lanes, including during rush hours. Morning service will operate north to Metro Center, with afternoon service running south toward Van Dorn Street.

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Pop-up at West Alexandria Transit Center tomorrow offers more info on final design

By Katie Taranto

Published November 18, 2025 at 11:15AM

Alexandria Transit Company (photo courtesy DASH)

Members of the public can learn more and provide feedback on the final design of the West Alexandria Transit Center at a pop-up event tomorrow (Wednesday) The event will run […]

News

Q&A: ACHS interim principal discusses 16-hour days, campus transitions, and supporting 4,000+ students

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated September 24, 2025 at 4:44PM

ACHS Interim Principal Lance Harrell speaks at Alexandria City High School's 25th anniversary celebration of the film Remember The Titans, Sept. 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Lance Harrell has a big job, overseeing Alexandria City High School, the largest high school in Virginia.

Harrell says he’s working 10- to 16-hour days, with the longest days being Fridays, when there are football games. “I think the biggest change is just the added hours that I’ve been working,” Harrell told ALXnow in an interview on Wednesday.