Lextran offers free rides from downtown to Lexington entertainment districts
A pilot program launched this summer, connecting downtown Lexington, the Distillery District and the Warehouse Block, near Mirror Twin Brewing, with free bus rides on the weekends.
The service from Lextran is meant to make it easier to move between the popular entertainment areas without the worry of parking or traffic. The pilot service will run during the peak tourism months of April to October, from 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
“Lexington is starting to grow out, and this brings things together without losing that downtown feel,” said Lacey Johnson, mobility manager for Lextran.
Strengthening public transit geared toward entertainment not only benefits local residents and businesses, but makes Lexington more competitive as a tourist destination, said Lexington Councilmember James Brown, chair of the economic development committee.
Riders can confidently and comfortably navigate between these areas without the stress of rideshare apps, parking or navigatio, he said.
On a Saturday evening, Bill and Ria Harvey, who were visiting Lexington from Columbus, Ohio, opted to take LexRide to the Distillery District. The couple chose to use LexRide multiple times during their trip.
“We didn’t have to deal with traffic and that was super convenient, a huge part in why we chose to use the bus,” said Bill Harvey.
LexRide has performed so well that the service will remain free for the remainder of the pilot, said Johnson.
“We have had 150 to 200 riders weekly for a service that only runs for 24 hours total a week,” Johnson said. “But we not only focus on ridership, we’re really excited to look into numbers on how it is affecting the economy.”
Without the limit of a two hour parking meter or the fear of a parking ticket, customers can deviate from plans and try out things they come across. Increasing foot traffic brings more customers into businesses, said Erin Goins, owner and guide for Lexington food tour Bites of the Bluegrass.
“That’ll get more people downtown walking, so that they’re walking into the doors of our local businesses and contributing to a vibrant downtown,” said Goins. “It just kind of makes a little system within a system that’s going to allow us to both expand our routines of where we’re going for business, and encourages us to find new places.”
Establishing new areas like the Distillery and Warehouse in a community is always challenging but as many sectors of the hospitality industry have struggled in recent times, said Goins, this is a chance for local business to collaborate rather than compete.
Expanding access to shops, restaurants and more for consumers translates to a stronger business community in Lexington, Brown said. In getting the chance to leave their car behind, even locals are able to experience Lexington in a new way, he added.
“I didn’t even know all of this was right here,” Johnson said. “It’s helped me get to know Lexington better.”
All of the partners involved in the project brought different perspectives to planning, said Johnson. Bringing in partners from the city and local businesses brought in more voices to help shape the program, she said.
The program was in development for a little over a year, but as more community members got involved, the program grew, Brown said.
“We started this process, and everybody kicked in and was willing to help out in whatever way they could,” Brown said. “This project has way more buy-in than I think it appears on the surface; folks are willing to put their, put their money and talents and efforts towards things that they think are important.”
Changes have already been made to adjust to demand. Starting the weekend of July 9, the routes were updated to follow a busier route on Main Street. Signage has also been adjusted after community comments indicated that the previous signs made it hard to locate stops and know about the service.
“They’ve made really good changes, and it’s even busier now,” said Alfredo Cruz, a LexRide bus operator.
Cruz noted one unexpected benefit he has seen from the service is to local families.
“Just last week, a local was showing her family from Utah around and used the buses as a tour facilitator so she could just focus on catching up and chatting,” Cruz said. “Parking or walking distance couldn’t limit what she could show her family.”
Transfers to any other Lextran route are free, and as one stop for LexRide is at the transfer center, riders from as far as Danville can utilize the new connector.
“The interest from our current partners and others looking to get involved has been amazing,” Johnson said. “We’ve been hearing great things and are excited to see the response to the new changes.”
If the program performs well, Lextran and its partners could bring back the seasonal circulator or expand its service to areas like Chevy Chase.
While there’s the potential for LexRide to expand, funding will be a key factor for its future, Brown said.
“I don’t know what the magic number is,” Brown said. “I think we’ve already seen success, but when we get more definitive information, it will help guide us in the direction that we need to go in expanding the opportunity.”
