The ‘Lexpress’ Bus Takes Residents to Their Town’s ‘Nooks and Crannies’

Lexington, Massachusetts, provides a decades old, age-friendly solution to a local transportation challenge

A promotional graphic for the Lexpress bus in Lexington, Vermont, says "Lexpress is more than a bus. It's community values in motion. Every ride you take helps ensure the availability of rides for your neighbors.

Since the Lexpress bus is largely supported by fares and local taxes, riders and the community help keep the service running.

Image courtesy Town of Lexington, Massachusetts

The Challenge: In the late 1970s, a community survey of Lexington, Massachusetts, revealed that residents needed transportation to in-town areas not reached by public transit buses. The era's energy crisis exacerbated the need. In response to both, the town (pop. 34,000) created a transportation committee, which approached the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) seeking service improvements.

“The MBTA knew it couldn’t further expand out into the suburbs and fill the gaps people were begging to be filled,” explains Susan Barrett, Lexington’s transportation manager. “So, it devised a partnership with the town by essentially saying, ‘If you pay half, we'll pay half.’”

The Response: Lexpress (a portmanteau of the words "Lexington" and "express") launched in 1979, serving what Barrett calls, “the nooks and crannies of the town.”

At the time, Sally Castleman, who is now in her 80s, was a member of the local transportation advocacy committee. “We had been observing and experiencing transportation needs within the town,” she recalls. “We were a small group of serious, committed and competent individuals who all held the same vision.”

A Lexington Historical Society Facebook post from 2019 shows a black-and-white image of several community members and local leaders at the 1979 ribbon-cutting for the Lexpress bus service in Lexington, Massachusetts

Sally Castleman, pictured third from left at a ribbon-cutting for a new Lexpress bus in the early 1980s, is now in her 80s and continues to be an active transportation advocate.

Photo by Ann Ahearn as it appeared in the Lexington Minuteman and later shared on Facebook by the Lexington Historical Society

Castleman and her committee colleagues were tasked with determining the Lexpress routes, fares, frequency, rules for the contractors and specifications for the vehicles. The team also handled the marketing and promotion. The service was an instant success.

“It was a godsend to seniors who could no longer drive,” she explains. “Gradually, more residents realized that taking Lexpress eliminated parking issues and driving in traffic.” Lexpress was also a hit with teens, taking them around town, including to school and to and from afterschool activities. Top destinations for all ages include the mall in the neighboring town of Burlington, a popular grocery store, a medical center, the Lexington library, community center and every Lexington school.

How It Works: Lexpress operates as a “flag system.”

Age-Friendly Network

Lexington, Massachusetts, joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in 2024.

A blue and yellow Lexpress shuttle bus in Lexington, Massachusetts

A 23-passenger Lexpress bus

Image courtesy Town of Lexington, Massachusetts

Riders can be picked up anywhere along a bus route within Lexpress's 26-square-mile service area by waving to the approaching driver. Passengers can exit anywhere along the route by pulling a cord to signal the driver, who will even make a stop that isn’t directly on the route if the deviation doesn’t inconvenience the other riders.

Lexpress travels three routes, averaging 140 riders per day consisting of (in September 2025) 41% seniors, 32% youth, 26% adults.

The fares cost $20 annually for unlimited rides, or $1 a ride for seniors (65-plus) and riders with disabilities, or $2 for riders age 6 to 64.

Every bus has a wheelchair lift and can fit two wheelchairs.

Service animals are allowed.

The buses operate hourly from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A smartphone app can be used to track the buses.

Although MBTA still helps fund Lexpress, and some state money has been obtained, the service is largely funded by fares and local taxes.

When the town experienced budget changes in 2022, Barrett received letters from riders who feared Lexpress was in jeopardy. One older rider wrote to say that, in addition to taking the bus to get to appointments and the community center, he and his peers also use it "simply to obtain recreation and time with others.”

Another resident, Pramod Motilal Soparkar, a retired dentistry professor and researcher, sent Barrett a videotape of a song he wrote about the bus service and its benefits for grandparents and grandchildren alike. Later, at age 90-plus, he performed the song at Lexpress’s anniversary party.

Lessons Learned and Advice

Susan Barrett, the transportation manager of Lexington, Massachusetts, and Sally Castleman, a transportation advocate who was instrumental in launching Lexpress, share words of wisdom to communities interested in replicating the local bus service.

Buses Matter: “Public buses are often overlooked, yet they're tremendously valuable," says Barrett. "When new services come out, such as on-demand micro transit, we tend to overlook buses. While the new services have value, they are hard to scale, so you either need significantly more funding, or you have to cut who is eligible to ride, which increases service gaps, often for the very riders who serve our seniors, such as people who work in senior homes, at grocery stores, coffee shops, etc."

Do Your Homework: "Before presenting our proposal to the MBTA, we conducted a study about the needs within the town among all age groups," says Castleman. "We also sought comments and advice from the managers of the few small, intra-town transit systems that existed in other municipalities at the time."

Create Incentives: "To encourage ridership right from the start, we asked town merchants to provide a discount or free item to Lexpress passholders who visited their stores," Castleman explains. "Several enrolled!"

Think Holistically: “Rather than focus on the needs of only older adults, we also considered the people who serve older adults,” says Barrett. Such service providers include caregivers, housekeepers, store clerks, hair stylists and health care workers. “If communities don't work for service providers, they can't work for the people who depend on them.”

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify: “You will find people who believe they’ll never use the bus. But if you make it easy enough to use, it often becomes something they’re willing to try,” says Barrett. "Initially, we visited every elementary school class to give a lesson on safe driving." She adds: "Consider providing travel training to teach people how to use transit apps, map out their trips, pay fares and more.

Inject Fun: The city’s transit programming includes "Active Older Adult Outings" for people who are unfamiliar with using transit, often because they had access to a car. A popular field trip takes riders to a conservation trail that’s adjacent to the local television station. “We pop in for a little tour, and then we hop back onto the bus,” Barrett explains.

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_{Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner | Page published February 2026}

The ‘Lexpress’ Bus Takes Residents to Their Town’s ‘Nooks and Crannies’

Lexington, Massachusetts, provides a decades old, age-friendly solution to a local transportation challenge

Age-Friendly Network

Lessons Learned and Advice

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