New Electric Buses In Alexandria Funded Through Federal Program

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria's DASH Bus will make major strides for its plan to transition to all emissions-free buses with new funding for electric buses.

DASH announced Monday that it received $23.9 million for 13 electric buses through the Federal Transit Administration's Low/No Emission Buses and Bus & Bus Facilities Program. That's in addition to $14 million in grant funding from the I-395 toll funding program for two electric buses on the busiest DASH line and maintaining service levels on two lines.

The federal grant will go toward 13 battery-powered electric buses, charging infrastructure, upgrades at the DASH facility to provide additional electric capacity, and training and workforce development programs for the transition to electric buses.

"The City is committed to reducing its environmental impact and improving air quality. The purchase of zero-emission buses is a major step forward in achieving these goals," said Josh Baker, the CEO and general manager of DASH. "The new buses will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality for all residents of Alexandria."

Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine noted in a statement the federal grant funding came from the infrastructure law Congress passed in 2021.

"We are thrilled to see the bipartisan infrastructure law continue to deliver for communities," said Warner and Kaine in a statement. "This funding will help deliver state-of-the-art buses and bus facilities that are better for our environment and make Virginia’s transit systems more reliable and comfortable for riders."

The other recent funding is from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission’s I-395 Commuter Choice Program, which uses toll revenue to support transportation improvements to make travel more efficient through the corridor. The funding will go toward maintaining current peak service levels on Lines 35 and 36A/B as well as purchase two electric buses for Line 35, DASH's busiest route.

The city previously set a goal of changing the entire DASH bus fleet to zero-emissions buses by 2037. To help meet that goal, all new bus purchases in 2027 or later will be those with no tailpipe emissions.

Different funding sources are helping Alexandria's bus system advance toward that goal. DASH had received its first six electric buses from the Virginia's share of Volkswagen's emissions violation settlement. An additional 20 buses are being funded through 2025 with Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation grant funding.