Lextran
 | |
|---|---|
| Parent | Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government |
| Founded | April 1972 |
| Headquarters | 109 West Loudon Avenue, Lexington, KY |
| Locale | Lexington and Fayette County |
| Service area | Lexington city proper |
| Service type | bus, paratransit |
| Routes | 15 |
| Stops | 900+ |
| Hubs | Lexington Transit Center |
| Fleet | 79 |
| Operator | Transit Authority of LFUGC |
| Website | http://www.lextran.com |
Lextran (officially the Transit Authority of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government[1]) is a public transportation bus system serving Lexington, Kentucky. It runs bus routes throughout the city which all converge in downtown at the Lexington Transit Center located at 220 East Vine.
Lextran provides public transportation in the form of buses and lift vans. It operates seven days a week on eight bus routes from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. In addition to mainline and paratransit, Lextran contracts with the University of Kentucky and operates four routes around the campus.[2] It also runs two routes to the Bluegrass Community and Technical College campuses.[3]
Even though Lexington and Fayette County are a consolidated government, Lextran does not provide service outside the Lexington city proper due to limited funding sources.[4]
History
Prior to Lextran's current existence, Lexington was served by numerous private transit systems. The first such system was the Lexington Railway Company streetcars which began operation in 1874[5] that used horse-drawn stagecoaches. The name changed to the Lexington Street Railway Company soon after to avoid confusion with the steam railroads. In 1890, the system was upgraded to streetcars and was referred to as the Kentucky Traction and Terminal Company. The streetcars ceased operations in 1938 when they were replaced by motorized buses under the Lexington Railway System name, which later became the Lexington Transit Corporation.
By the early 1970s, expenses associated with the operation of the motorized buses soon outstripped revenue for the Lexington Transit Corporation.[5] In April 1972, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government incorporated the system under the local government and renamed the system Lextran. In 1997, Lextran introduced the Lexington Bluegrass Mobility Office.[6] It offers carpooling and vanpooling computer ridematching services and LexVan, a work commute vanpool leasing program.
In 2004, the system received additional funding from a successful ballot initiative to implement a new property tax dedicated to helping fund the Lextran system.[7] Since the tax referendum passed, Lextran's system has grown by 50% and the number of passenger boardings and operators more than doubled. The bus fleet will increase from 53 as of May 2007 to 60 by August 2007 as well.
For 2007, Lextran is poised to receive several upgrades to its fleet of buses and facilities.[7] A renovation and expansion of the main Lextran facilities on East Loudon Avenue, expected to cost $7.5 million, has $4 million already secured. Lextran is also seeking $3.1 million for new buses, $1.5 million for an Automated Vehicle Locator, and $800,000 to purchase new fare boxes. Phase one of the expansion project includes the construction of a new bus fuel and wash building at 109 West Loudon Avenue, along with upgrades to the restrooms and break room at the Lexington Transit Center.
Route list
- 1 Woodhill
- 2 Georgetown Road
- 3 Tates Creek
- 4 Newtown Pike
- 5 Nicholasville Road
- 6 North Broadway (formerly Russell Cave)
- 7 North Limestone
- 8 Versailles Road
- 9 Eastland
- 10 Hamburg Pavilion
- 11 Richmond Road
- 12 Leestown Road
- 13 South Broadway
- 14 UK Commonwealth Stadium
- 15 Red Mile (serving UK community)
- 16 Southland Drive/BCTC
- 17 Northside Connector
- 18 Centre Parkway Connector
- 19 Southside Connector (No longer in service)
- 20 Masterson Station
- 21 Blue Grass Airport-Keeneland
- 22 Jobs Bus (Nicholasville Road)
- 23 Nicholasville Road Express
- 24 COLT Trolley Blue Route
- 25 COLT Trolley Green Route
- 26 Alumni Drive/Lakeshore (No longer in service)
- 28 KY Horse Park Express (No longer in service)
- 29 Job Bus (Newtown Pike/Citation Blvd)
- 30 UK Cats Cruiser
- 31 Alexandria Crosstown
References
- ↑ LexTran application for employment to illustrate official name
- ↑ "LexTran's Service to UK". Retrieved 2009-08-18.
- ↑ "LexTran's Service to BCTC". Retrieved 2009-08-18.
- ↑ "LexTran Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "History of Transit in Lexington". Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Fruitful trip to the hill" (PDF). 2007-04-16. pp. 01–02. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
