By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – Lextran spokesperson Jill Barnett says the bus company is pleased with the growth in ridership for its downtown Colt Trolley service. She says people are especially using the mass transit option for getting between the UK and Transylvania campuses.
"From April 2010, which was when the trolley started, to the end of October (I don't have quite all of the November numbers updated yet), we've had a total of 33,480 passengers, and that's on both routes. The green route which is the one that goes between UK and Transy however, has had close to 20,000 of those riders. So I think it represents a significant addition to the campus community."
Barnett says the bus company is particularly proud that the Colt Trolley service received a Smiley Pete award this year for "increasing convenience of travel downtown and for making it a cleaner, safer place."
"I know when I was a student at UK I rarely went downtown. Had we had the trolley at that time, it would have been an excellent, excellent means of transportation."
The Trolley operates weekdays over the lunch hours, night service is offered Thursday through Sunday starting at 6pm. The Smiley Pete awards are named for Lexington's famous canine who became a favorite mascot in the downtown corridor of Main and Lime.