Like Uber, but cheaper: New Lextran vans aim to help people get around Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — If you were driving around in Lexington's Northwest part of town on Tuesday, you might've noticed small vans on the roads with the Lextran Connect logo.

Those are new and will be around for at least one year as part of a pilot program to see if they help bridge the city's public transportation gap.

"We have pockets of the community that are difficult to serve with a fixed route bus, the larger buses, so this helps to bring more access to more people," said Lextran General Manager, Fred Combs.

Combs was joined by LFUCG council members from the northwest district, where Lextran Connect was launched.

These smaller buses will serve as public transportation's answer to rideshare apps, but not as expensive.

LEX News

"This is considered a premium service, so the fare for this will be $3 per trip, as opposed to the bus service, which is $1 per trip," Combs said, before noting that the fare includes a free bus transfer.

Riders will download the app to access this service and reserve a pick-up location and time, roughly 20-30 minutes before needing it.

It can take you from a bus stop to your final destination, whether that's a place of employment or a doctor's office.

It can also take you from your home to the Lextran bus stop.

The Lextran buses can get you from point A to Point B, but the idea behind the LexConnect service is to help with point C if that's not a manageable walk.

After this one-year pilot program, officials will assess its success. If it does well, it'll likely continue in the northwest part of town, and it could even be expanded into more neighborhoods.

"We actually identified six different zones in Lexington, but the analysis pointed to this part of town being the most likely to be successful because of the uses within the zone. So, we felt this was the best first step to take in the city," Combs said.

To download app, or learn more about this program visit: lextran.com/connect.

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