Someone asked us why Lextran doesn't run later on weekends, especially if you're downtown at a Rupp Arena event that goes past ten p.m. and you're basically stuck driving or calling a rideshare. That's a great question.

Actually, Lextran's Sunday schedules do run until nine p.m., with the final bus arriving at the Downtown Transit Center, but you're right that weekend service ends earlier than weekdays. The system normally operates from five a.m. to midnight seven days a week, but that seems to be weekday hours. The challenge is that most Rupp events, especially basketball games or concerts, can easily run until ten thirty or eleven, so you'd miss that last bus.

Right, and if you're relying on public transit to get there, you're kind of trapped downtown afterward.

Exactly. The good news is they do have LexRide, which runs from four p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday from April through October as a downtown circulator. It comes every twelve to fifteen minutes and connects downtown to the Distillery District and Warehouse Block area. So if you're going to or from those areas for an event, that could help bridge the gap.

But that's still seasonal and only covers certain routes.

True. It's really a broader issue of ridership and funding. Transit agencies nationwide struggle with late-night weekend service because the passenger numbers don't always justify the operating costs. But for a city like Lexington where downtown events are such a big draw, it does create that transportation gap you're talking about. Maybe as ridership grows and the city continues investing in transit, we'll see expanded weekend hours.

Listen live: The Lexington Times runs a 24/7 local news livestream — watch on YouTube or on Facebook. This transcript is from a recent on-air segment.