Lextran Board of Directors voted Fred Combs, AICP, as the agency's next general manager, effective Jan. 8, 2024. Combs has been with Lextran, based in Lexington, Ky., for more than seven years, most recently serving as director of planning, technology and community relations.
Combs played a major role in securing funding from competitive federal grant programs to incorporate low and no emissions vehicles to diversify Lextran’s fleet and completed a comprehensive operations analysis that evaluated the alignment of resources and mobility needs in Lexington and provided recommendations for the future of the service.
In his role as general manager, Combs will provide leadership, vision and operational and administrative management for Lextran, which operates a fixed-route bus system and door-to-door paratransit service in Lexington-Fayette County.
"We are excited for the future of the agency under Mr. Combs’ leadership. Mr. Combs’ passion for transportation and for Lexington makes us confident that he is the correct candidate for the job," said Lextran Board of Directors Chair Harding Dowell. "His tenure with Lextran and his depth of experience in public transit gives us faith that he can capably help us move forward.”
“My focus at Lextran has been to continually push toward our mission, ‘We serve people and our community with mobility solutions,’ in all that we do. I am looking forward to continuing that important work while supporting Lextran’s incredible staff,” said Combs of his appointment to general manager.
Combs holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Clemson University and is a certified planner by the American Planning Association. He also currently serves as Lextran’s disadvantaged business enterprise liaison officer, the chair of the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Technical Coordination Committee and on the advisory board of Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Architectural Technology program.
