  Reduction operators (called also nonclassical or $Q$-conditional symmetries)
of variable coefficient semilinear reaction-diffusion equations with
exponential source $f(x)u_t=(g(x)u_x)_x+h(x)e^{mu}$ are investigated using the
algorithm involving a mapping between classes of differential equations, which
is generated by a family of point transformations. A special attention is paid
for checking whether reduction operators are inequivalent to Lie symmetry
operators. The derived reduction operators are applied to construction of exact
solutions.
