Lextran

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 22 bus, 2 trolley[1]
Stops 980[1]
Hubs Lexington Transit Center
Fleet 72[1]
Daily ridership 17,265 (fiscal year 2012-2013)[1]
Fuel type Mixed fleet (diesel and hybrid-electric)[1]
Operator Transit Authority of LFUGC
Website http://www.lextran.com

Lextran (officially the Transit Authority of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government[2]) 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.[3] It also runs two routes to the Bluegrass Community and Technical College campuses.[4]

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.[5]

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[6] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[8] 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

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Lextran Annual Report 2012-2013". http://www.lextran.com/about-lextran/annual-report''. Transit Authority of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
  2. ↑ LexTran application for employment to illustrate official name
  3. ↑ "LexTran's Service to UK". Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  4. ↑ "LexTran's Service to BCTC". Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  5. ↑ "LexTran Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "History of Transit in Lexington". Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  7. ↑ "LexVan Rideshare Information". Retrieved 2007-05-24.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Fruitful trip to the hill" (PDF). 2007-04-16. pp. 01–02. Retrieved 2007-05-07.

External links