A Northern Virginia city spent millions more than budgeted on public buses last fiscal year because of a spreadsheet error, according to the board overseeing the bus operator DASH.
The Alexandria Transit Company ended fiscal 2026 with a deficit of about $3.7 million, largely because of a $3.2 million “internal forecasting error” in a spreadsheet, according to a financial summary from the company.
When the fiscal year ended in June, the transit company assumed that it had a balanced budget. But then staff notified the board of the error, which overstated the funding available to offset operational costs. The deficit accounts for about 10 percent of the operating budget, Alexandria Transit Company board chair David Kaplan said at a board meeting this month.
“We were very surprised,” he said.
Kaplan said there was no evidence of fraud or embezzlement. It appears the funds were spent on bus maintenance and bus driver overtime, he added.
“The cost overruns are unacceptable,” he said. “There must be accountability for what happened.”
DASH has been free to riders for years. In a statement, DASH said the shortfall has been resolved with a one-time transfer from the city of Alexandria.
“Our community deserves a clear explanation of how this happened, why the shortfall wasn’t identified sooner, and what steps will be taken to ensure this never happens again,” Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins (D) said in a statement.
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