The labor union representing workers at three local bus systems across Northern Virginia is reacting favorably to a proposal for a regional merger.
“It will be better for workers and for riders, better for communities,” said Benjamin Lynn, a representative of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, during an Oct. 21 roundtable discussion convened to consider the possibility of consolidating Fairfax Connector, Fairfax City’s CUE Bus, Arlington Transit (ART) and Alexandria’s DASH.
The meeting was convened by the Virginia Department of Rail and Transportation, which earlier this year was directed by the General Assembly to consider issues related to consolidation and report back by December.
The state agency will present pros and cons rather than deliver a formal recommendation to lawmakers.
While the concept of consolidation found a largely chilly reception from local governments, union leaders were more supportive.
“There are multiple benefits,” said Lynn, who presented Local 689’s view along with the union’s recording secretary, Barry Wilson.
In addition to representing unionized Metro workers, the union also is the bargaining agent for Fairfax Connector, ART and DASH and several other local transit agencies.
“We’re just looking to ensure that our members are very much at the table,” Wilson said of the consolidation proposal.
Addressing concerns of local government leaders that a consolidated bus network might be less able to meet the needs of individual jurisdictions, Lynn suggested a middle ground could be considered.
“We believe there is a path forward to still having consolidation and maintaining that element of local control,” he said. “You could theoretically have a system where there is some coordination — the buses in Fairfax County could still say Fairfax Connector, the buses in Alexandria could still say Alexandria DASH and so forth.”
Lynn pressed for collaboration and potential consolidation as Northern Virginia embarks on a planned major expansion of bus rapid transit (BRT) routes.
“Having a single entity would help improve the coordination of the cross-jurisdiction routes — ensuring that they are consistent in the design, consistent in the timing, consistent in the software, consistent in the rules of how they work,” he said.
The four local bus networks were developed by local governments beginning in the 1980s, in part to complement Metrobus service and in part to reduce operational costs.
ART and Fairfax Connector use a contractor to provide service and employ workers, while CUE and DASH employ their workforces directly.
Because the Arlington and Fairfax systems are not operated by the local governments, their employees have the ability to strike.
In February and March 2024, Fairfax Connector service was sidelined for about two weeks during a labor dispute. Later that year, a potential ART strike was averted when a new labor contract was signed.
A consulting firm hired by state officials to evaluate the impacts of a merger suggested there could be cost savings achieved, but more likely, the costs involved would outweigh savings.
The consolidation concept is “problematic,” Alexandria City Manager James Parajon said at the Oct. 21 forum, pointing to both fiscal and operational concerns.
“We have an unknown and uncertain world we’re living in right now,” Parajon said, adding that moving from local to a regional service model would represent “a greater separation from our customer base.”
The consolidation issue may be considered during the 2027 General Assembly, but the more pressing question will likely be how much the state government is willing to financially support Northern Virginia transit, both by Metro and the local bus systems.
As part of an annual legislative work session on Oct. 29, Arlington County Board members pressed legislators to find more money in the state budget. In response, two senior lawmakers asked why Northern Virginia localities refused to use a new revenue tool they had been provided.
Jurisdictions across the commonwealth received legislative authority this year to seek voter approval of a 1% increase in the sales tax. In most of Virginia, the additional revenue will be reserved for school construction, but Northern Virginia localities can use some or all of the funding for transit.
Fairfax City was the only jurisdiction in the region to pursue a referendum in this year’s election, though city council members indicated a preference for allocating the potential revenue to schools, rather than public transportation.
“We gave it to you for a reason. I hope that you will use it,” Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) told Arlington County Board members during the two-hour session discussing the upcoming General Assembly session.
Like Hope, Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) pushed back on the board’s request for more Metro funding from the state without any consideration of a sales tax referendum.
“I believe we will always find a way to find the funding for the state portion, but we are going to want to see what localities are doing,” she said.
Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti suggested that it wasn’t his county holding up the process.
“I don’t think it’s a grand mystery that other Northern Virginia jurisdictions see this as less of a starter,” he said of the referendum concept.
State legislators earlier this year funded some of what the region was seeking in transit funding for the current and subsequent fiscal years. But without more changes, local governments across Northern Virginia could be facing significant bills in fiscal year 2029 to support the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Fairfax County leaders likely will take up the question of transit service and funding at some length on Dec. 1, when both the transportation and legislative committees of the Board of Supervisors are next scheduled to meet.
