SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – After a successful first-year pilot program, the Emerald Bay Shuttle will return this summer to manage vehicles and crowds at Emerald Bay on SR89 at Lake Tahoe. The program will run from mid-June to September 7, 2026.
In 2024, El Dorado County Supervisor Brooke Laine brought together multiple agencies and partners to create a plan for a safer corridor between the south and north shores along the highway. Last summer, the pilot program began to get people to either park their cars legally and safely, along with a plan to have them ditch the car completely and use a shuttle service.
New barriers were put up in areas not meant for parking in the summer of 2025, but tickets were still issued during the pilot program. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued 248 parking citations during the July-September program, 379 for the whole summer. Ten cars were towed.
The parking citations were $40 per ticket before this new program, and they were raised to $100 per incident. Authorities found that many people aren’t concerned with paying that amount, so efforts are underway to raise it to match what Nevada currently charges on SR28 – $305. CHP said people start to pay attention at that amount.
While citations are a consequence, the idea behind the corridor plan is to get people to park legally or get out of their vehicles and use the shuttle to reduce the gridlock.
The team assembled by Laine has been seeking solutions by removing illegal roadside parking, while still giving the public the freedom to explore. Their focus has been, and will continue to be, education and showing people how to get to Emerald Bay safely.
A shuttle is $10 round trip, $5 one way, with kids at $5 round trip, $2.50 one way, and seniors and veterans at a discount. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time with a reservation, or, new this year, users can pay as they board. Predetermined times were found to be unrealistic, as time spent at Emerald Bay didn’t always match the return ticket time.
Also new is the daily use of a shuttle from the South Y Center to Sugar Pine Point. This was a weekend-only service last year and will now be offered seven days a week. The schedule, along with more information, will be posted at http://www.emeraldbayshuttle.com/, but not yet – the website is not yet active.
The pilot shuttle last year was used to see what needs to be adjusted, and those safety and more user-friendly features will be seen in this second pilot program year. This year, the team had more illegal and unsafe roadside parking spaces in Emerald Bay removed to improve public safety.
The shuttles will now have cellular boosters to improve connectivity, and connections between TART, TTD Route 50, and Lake Link will be two of the added features.
Long-term planning will continue for the area with a road safety audit and other avenues for a successful corridor.
