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Virginia State University students ask city to adjust bus connections so men can attend Friday prayer
Summary
Students from Virginia State University’s Muslim Students Association asked Petersburg transit staff to examine bus-route connections that currently prevent many male students from reaching Jummah (Friday congregational) prayer without costly rides.
Maria Toussairikun, president of the Muslim Students Association at Virginia State University, told council that current bus connections force students to take multiple routes—sometimes costing $30 by rideshare—to reach the masjid for Friday (Jummah) prayer, which male students are expected to attend congregationally.
"We would really love a solution to this issue," Toussairikun said, asking transit staff to review routes and consider changes that would enable a direct connection to the mosque at prayer time.
Jordan DeVille and other student speakers described the personal cost and the religious importance of attending Jummah in community and asked the council and Director of Transit (Darius Mason) to explore adding or adjusting routes. City staff said they would discuss connections with Director Mason and look for practical fixes; no formal transit schedule change was adopted at the meeting.
Council asked staff to follow up with transit operations to identify feasible route changes and potential costs; the March 3 work session was used to surface the issue and request administrative follow-up.
