Lextran continues discussion about microtransit with Council

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In Tuesday, October 21st's Council Work Session, Lextran General Manager Fred Combs will present an overview of Lextran's Microtransit Feasibility Study and share steps Lextran would need to take for a microtransit pilot to happen.

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Download the Presentation:
You can review the presentation slides starting on page 38 of this packet.

🙋‍♀️ What is microtransit?

Microtransit is a broad term used to describe public transportation that typically provides door-to-door or curb-to-curb service using smaller vehicles like cars or vans. It often functions very similarly to Uber of Lyft, where a rider can book a ride on a public transit agency's app and a driver will pick them up and drop them off at or near their destination.

Microtransit has come up as a talking point in Lexington over the past year or so due to advocacy from BUILD, a coalition of Lexington churches that advocates for various policies.
BUILD believes a microtransit service could fill existing transit gaps for people who live too far away from a bus stop who cannot afford private microtransit services like Uber or Lyft, and for whom Lextran’s paratransit Wheels service is too unreliable.

Much of the information in Tuesday's presentation repeats a presentation from earlier this year on the preliminary results of the same microtransit study. You can read that piece for a more detailed look at what the study recommends for a microtransit pilot program, but here are some highlights:

The study recommends a two-year pilot program in one specific area of Lexington between Newtown Pike, Versailles Road, and Citation Boulevard/Alexandria Drive.
- Riders could be picked up and dropped off anywhere within the zone.
- If riders want to go to a destination outside the zone, they would have to take a microtransit trip to a bus stop and connect to Lextran's bus routes for the rest of the trip.
Service hours would be 6am to 8pm Monday through Friday, with two drivers available for trips throughout the day.
The pilot program would cost roughly $2.3 million to operate over two years.
- Only 5% of the operating costs would be covered by rider fares. Lextran would need to find another funding source for the rest of the operating costs.
Rides would cost $3 per trip and include free transfer tickets for people to connect to Lextran's bus routes.
Many of these details, specifically around service hours and fares, could change depending on how and whether Lextran's Board of Directors decides to pursue the service pilot.

*The recommended zone for a microtransit pilot project. Source:* *June 3rd Council Work Session meeting packet.*

Council allocated $250k to Lextran to help fund the proposed pilot. At-Large Councilmember Chuck Ellinger, who has been Council's leading advocate for microtransit, is requesting an additional $475k to Lextran to support the pilot.

Lextran staff is working on fleshing out more details of the pilot, including whether or not Lextran would operate it themselves or hire a contractor to provide the service, how the booking app would work, and finding a funding source for the pilot.

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Watch the meeting:
Council Work Session will be held on Tuesday, October 21st at 3pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.

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How can you get involved?
Reach out to Gregory Butler, Lextran's Planning and Community Development Manager, here!