Business View Magazine | July 2019

274 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 for, and successfully obtained, funding to purchase six fully electric buses along with all of the infrastructure required to operate them. That money is coming from the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal. Volkswagen was found guilty of falsifying tests and so the money from that settlement was put into a trust fund that’s designated for the implementation of clean vehicle technology. Our governor allocated a portion of the state’s money to a competitive grant program to fund the implementation of electric buses, particularly for systems that were serious about a fleet-wide transition. And we were one of the three transit systems in the state to receive those funds, and we are hopeful to be the first ones to put electric buses on the road in Virginia.” In the midst of all of this self-generated activity, DASH has also had to respond to a major challenge handed to it by WMATA– the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Baker explains: “Our heavy rail subway system, the Metro rail, has been in crisis for many years, as a result of 40-plus years of operating with limited to no investment in ongoing maintenance. WMATA has historically been underfunded as have many transit systems. It was a brand new and shining example of success and everybody was so proud of it and then they didn’t put money into it, and it got to the point where it was like running a brand new car and never changing the oil. Eventually, the car stops and you have to replace the engine.”