A new Lexpress fleet officially comes online next Monday, July 2, but one of the big blue buses made a stop at Cary Hall Wednesday to give locals a sneak preview. 

Slightly larger, painted a brighter blue and emblazoned with a yellow image of Paul Revere racing on horseback, the new fleet is equipped to carry three additional passengers and two more bicycles than the outgoing vehicles.

In addition to seating for 23 and a bike rack built for two, other new features of the fleet include a gasoline engine as opposed to diesel and the wheelchair lift mounted closer to the front than the rear, which could make for a smoother ride.

According to Jeanette Rebecchi, the town's transportation services coordinator, the contract for the current Lexpress fleet expires later this week, and the new four-year contract comes online after that.

As a special promotion marking the new fleet's launch, Lexpress passengers can ride for free all day Monday, July 2. 

The new fleet made is debut around noontime Wednesday, June 27, as a group of town staff, officials and riders gathered outside Cary Hall to check out a bus and witness a demonstration of the bike rack provided by Peggy Enders from the town's Bicycle Advisory Committee.