Well, Hello Trolley
LexTran Colt Trolley downtown circulator
Along with all of the other amenities that have started popping up in the downtown core, LexTran introduced its free downtown circulator -
the Colt Trolley -
the first week of April this year. In its first two months of operation, LexTran has seen over 4,000 passenger boardings each month.
With the goal of linking the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University, and making it quicker and easier to get from the east side of downtown to the west -
while, of course, catching all the bars, restaurants and businesses in between -
the Colt Trolley operates along two routes: the Blue Route, which runs east to west between Midland Avenue and the Lexington Center along Main and Vine Streets, and the Green Route, which runs north to south between the Avenue of Champions and Third Street along Upper and Limestone Streets. Trolley stops are designated with yellow signs along each route.
Unlike a subway train, which makes stops at each station, the trolley operators won't pull over to a stop unless somebody is waiting at a designated point or a passenger indicates they would like to get off by pulling on a rope which runs the perimeter of the interior. On average, a trolley should pass each stop every 10 minutes.
The current routes are a result of a dialogue between downtown institutions and LexTran. "When we put the service on the street, we really looked to our stakeholder groups -
the Downtown Lexington Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention of Visitors Bureau, the Lexington Center, business owners and developers -
for guidance on the routes and times. We really wanted them to have a say," said Jill Barnett, the director of community affairs with LexTran.
Though the vehicles may hark back to the Lexington trolleys of yore, the Colt Express is actually comprised of five buses with customized interior and exteriors, and other added frills, to more resemble the nostalgic modes of transportation. There is seating room for about 25 passengers, but like other downtown circulators, there is plenty of standing room as well.
Two trolleys run on each route at any given time, and two of the vehicles are hybrid electric -
the only hybrid electric vehicles currently employed by LexTran in its public fleet at the time.
All five vehicles were purchased with a federal grant through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, according to Barnett, and no local tax dollars were used.
Currently, the trolleys run each weekday during lunch hours (11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.) and in the evenings Thursday through Saturday (6 p.m. - 1 a.m. for the Blue Route; 8 p.m. -
3 a.m. for the Green Route).
Though it is a common request Barnett has to answer, the Colt Trolleys, due to federal regulations, are not available for chartered trips. Visit www.colttrolley for more information and route maps. -
Robbie Clark
Don't Get Caught Without Your Car
Rent A Driver can take you and your ride home
The problem with taking a taxi, for most drivers, isn't the cost of having a safe ride home after an evening of rambunctiousness, it's the hassle of getting back to your car the next morning. But where there is a problem, there is also a business opportunity waiting to be seized. Enter Kevin Bailey, Bane Shepherd and Jess Shepherd.
In September 2008 this gang of young entrepreneurs started Rent A Driver, a local service that not only chauffers customers to their intended destination, but also delivers their automobile as well. Other cities, such as Louisville and Atlanta, have comparable companies, and with the influx in interest and activity in the downtown core, the owners realized that Lexington was ready for this type of service.
"With more and more bars going in downtown, we figured it's something that would help downtown and keep Lexington safe," Bailey said.
The team started out using collapsible bicycles that could be folded up and placed in the trunk of the client's car, so the driver could get home after dropping off the customer and their car. They did guerilla marketing in obvious places - Keeneland, University of Kentucky football games -
but because of the long distances the riders had to bike, often in the middle of the night, the owners decided to employ a different strategy. Now a team of drivers meets the client -
one drives the customer's car, the other follows in a company car.
Initially, the bulk of the company's work came during the weekend. Surprisingly, Rent A Driver soon started getting calls on Mondays and other weekdays and had to expand its hours, and its fleet of teams. On average, they now have five teams of drivers working at a time.
"There's somebody doing something in Lexington every night of the week," Shepherd said.
They also thought they would be dealing primarily with younger professionals and college-aged customers, but older, middle-aged clients have proved to be a steady clientele as well.
Rent A Driver charges a $10 pick-up fee, with an additional $2 for every mile (there is a $20 minimum) -
competitive prices to a regular cab ride. The owners hope that these prices, along with the convenience of their service, will dissuade inebriated people from chancing a trip behind the wheel. And according to the owners, their service is catching on.
"Downtown is growing, and we've seen a direct correlation with our business," Bailey said. "It's a unique service that nobody else in Lexington provides."
For more information, call (859) 233-4723 or visit www.radnodui.com. -
Sarah Craig
Scooting Around
Vespas starting to make the rounds in Lexington
One of the fastest growing local transportation trends is a lot smaller than a car and can get up to 100 miles to the gallon - Lexington has quickly become a leader among the region's Vespa dealerships. The scooter, which was introduced in 1946 by Italian company Piaggio, offered affordable transportation and immediately became a hit in Italy, and its distinctive style has made it popular in the Bluegrass.
"(Vespa's) styling and quality is, I think, what has kept them in business for so long and why they've acquired such a good name," says Whit Hiler, who, along with Mike Wright, helped bring the European staple to Lexington when they opened Vespa Lexington in 2008. Both are longtime Vespa drivers.
While Louisville has a Vespa dealership, and a handful of regional motorcycle retailers sell scooters, none has matched the success of Vespa Lexington. After only its first full year, the Lexington dealership was third in sales in the Great Lakes region, competing with cities like Minneapolis and Chicago.
With a diverse customer base ranging from 18 to about 80 years old, Hiler attributes their success to community involvement: "Our goal going into it was that we've got to bring people together who like scooter-ing and kind of create a scooter culture," he said. "That's what we really think has helped sales: the group rides and the fact that we are pretty active in local events and charity auctions, stuff like that." The company hosts cookouts in the parking lot, helps organize group rides, and keeps in touch with their customers and Vespa community via their mailing list, blog and social media.
The smallest Vespa offered is a 50cc; it has a top speed of about 35 mph and should be kept on small roads. Vespa Lexington's most popular item is a 150cc; it can reach 60-65 mph and can be taken pretty much anywhere in Lexington. While the 50 and 150cc scooters cover the basic getting-around-town traveling needs, some want a little more power: the 250cc can go up to 80-85 mph, and the most powerful scooter on the market is a 300cc, with speeds upwards of 90 mph (both are highway compatible).
The selling point for many is the gas mileage; the larger scooters will get anywhere from 75-80 miles per gallon, while the 150cc can get up to 115 mpg. Insurance and maintenance costs are also lower than cars - and Vespas are essentially built to last forever. Some Vespa Lexington customers have been driving their scooters for as long as 30 years.
A less tangible perk is membership to the subculture that accompanies Vespa ownership.
Many customers have started their own scooter clubs, which host regular organized group rides - the Dead Bunny Scooter Club, The Strays and The Circle 4 Scooter Club are just a few that have sprouted up in the past year. This is all a testament to what Hiler thinks is the Vespa's best feature: the amount of fun they
provide.
"You'll have a lot more fun commuting to work, you'll have a lot more fun going to the grocery store, " Hiler said. "And you'll have a lot more fun taking it out on a date." For more information, call (859) 523-8555 or visit www.vespalexington.com. -
Maryann Conigliaro
Jockeying for Ambition
Sprocket Jockeys pedal their way to your heart
Lauren Pfannerstill was walking to Pazzo's one sweltering Sunday morning last summer when a friend noted how nice it would be if a rickshaw were to suddenly appear and tote them the rest of the way - a sentiment that Pfannerstill agreed with wholeheartedly. Though the comment was made in passing, the image of a bike-powered rickshaw cruising around Lexington struck a chord with Pfannerstill, a recent college graduate who had been spending much of her time on the Internet looking for jobs in a down economy. A few months later, after dozens of meetings, a business plan was sketched out and Pfannerstill went from being unemployed to the co-owner of a new start-up company: Sprocket Jockeys, Lexington's first pedicab service.
Having taken accounting and economics classes in college, Pfannerstill had a good amount of business sense. But with her experience with bicycles limited to leisure riding, she tapped another recent college grad friend to join the venture - one with mechanical experience. James Goyner, a longtime employee at Scheller's Fitness & Cycling, was sold on the idea from the start -
though he studied geology in college, he admits that after graduating all he wanted to do was work on bikes.
To be sure, the rickshaw cycle is quite different from your everyday bicycle -
essentially, it is a heavy duty, 21-speed tricycle with large, smooth tread tires and many of the same amenities as any street-legal vehicle: running lights, brake lights and turn signals. An attached carriage, or cab, in the back can hold up to 450 additional pounds.
"If you're really close friends, three people can fit in the back," Goyner said. "My biggest load has been three girls, two coolers and two 12-packs of beer, which I carried across the stadium at the football game."
Goyner and Pfannerstill purchased two "velotaxis" from a Cincinnati pedicab service. Both machines have an electric assist rotary motor built into the front wheel, which provides a slight assistance - and is especially appreciated when toting 400 pounds uphill - but by no mean acts as the cab's sole means of propulsion (and yes, you might recognize a Sprocket Jockey by their noticeably toned leg muscles).
Operated by Pfannerstill, Goyner and a rotating crew of drivers, Sprocket Jockeys works much like a regular cab service -
the drivers pay the company to use the pedicabs, and they then work for tips.
"We charge very minimally on their fees so they can go out and make money," Goyner said, adding that the majority of the company's income comes from being hired for special events and advertisements they sell on the back frame of the cabs. Unless it's a longer trip, there is no set fare, but for the most part people appreciate the hard work of the pedicab drivers and are pretty generous with their tips.
"It's a cool experience and people really respond well to it," Pfannerstill said.
You can typically find the Sprocket Jockeys downtown Thursday - Saturday, from about 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. If you have a special event planned outside of those times, such as a wedding or even a special date during the week, they can often make special arrangements if called in advance. For more information, or to schedule a ride, visit www.sprocketjockeys.com or call (859) 913-7331. -
Saraya Brewer
It's Electric
And it's a car, could it be the solution to energy dependence?
If the Gulf Coast oil spill has caused you to reconsider your oil-fueled habits, it might behoove you to consider the newest addition to the Mann Chrysler fleet: the GEM car, a low speed, emission-free vehicle that runs completely on battery power (read: no petroleum).
While GEM (Global Electric Motorcars, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chrysler) has been manufacturing the vehicles for over 12 years, with more than 40,000 currently on the road in the U.S., the product is new to the central Kentucky dealership, with a client base that consists primarily of universities and government departments. In fact, when Mann Chrysler first received the fleet of GEM cars earlier this year, manager Randy Dunigan was instructed not to worry too much about the individual consumer market. After driving one for a few weeks, however, Dunigan's feelings about the individual market potential in Lexington have changed.
"It does have its honest limitations," Dunigan said. "But from where we live on Cooper Drive, my wife can do 90 percent of what she needs to do in the GEM car."
Six models of the GEM car are currently on the market, ranging from a two-seater sports model to a six-seater with a truck bed that can carry up to 1,150 pounds.
"In other words, the largest one will carry almost as much as a regular sized pick-up truck, which blows people's minds," Dunigan said. "The little engine goes the same speed whether it has 1,100 pounds or whether it's empty."
That speed tops out at about 25 mph - with no airbags, this is the legal limit. The cars are powered by a 72-volt battery system, which typically last 20 -
30 miles on a full charge, and take about eight hours to fully charge (you can plug the car directly into a 3-prong wall outlet in your house or garage).
Many aspects of the cars are customizable - with or without doors, heaters, interior lights, audio systems and many other options. Even though the vehicles emulate a golf cart or dune buggy to a certain extent -
especially the door-less models - GEM cars are built for the road and meet the latest road-safety requirements for low-speed vehicles, including safety glass, headlamps, windshield wipers and seat belts.
"It really has no relationship to a dune buggy," Dunigan said with a laugh - even his wife (whom he happened to pick up in a dune buggy on their first date) made the comparison on their first GEM car ride. "One's built to ride around on a grass golf course, and the other is built as a car to drive on the street. The tires are different, the suspension's different, the motor's different, the structure itself is different."
Dunigan, who's big on the open-air feel, prefers the two-seater model (e2) with no doors, which starts at about $7,400. Those who prefer a little more security, weather protection and room might go for the four-seater model (e4) with doors, which runs about $16,000 including some extra amenities (such as a heater). Whichever model you choose, GEM claims that their vehicles will save you money considering the average costs of keeping a gas-powered vehicle -
no petroleum, no oil changes. For someone who drives a mid-sized vehicle an average of 70 miles a week, with gas at $2.65 a gallon, a GEM car will save them an average of $345 a year on vehicle maintenance. Plus, GEM car buyers are eligible for a 10 percent tax credit.
"It's not going to replace everybody's car," Dunigan said. "But if you live in Chevy Chase, for example, and you work downtown or inside New Circle Road, I think you can do almost anything in it."
For more information on the GEM car, visit www.gemcar.com or contact Mann Chrysler at (859) 625-1422. -
Saraya Brewer