Possible changes in transportation services coming to South Lake Tahoe and Meyers

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Transportation services on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe have changed over the years, going from free casino shuttles to the fun, Nifty Fifty trollies, and many other steps along the way. There have been many challenges, but a new proposition is in the works to help fix it.

Currently, the South Shore is serviced by two fixed bus routes along US50 provided by the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD). There is a large area that is not serviced by a bus, including Meyers (except for paratransit services).

Lake Link, a free on-demand micro-transit service, came into town as a part of the Tahoe Blue Event Center requirements. It was launched in July 2022 and is operated by the South Shore Transportation Management Association (SSTMA) with service between Round Hill, Nevada and the Grocery Outlet area of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

The micro-transit service isn't free to operate and is being funded through a collaboration of several public and private partnerships. El Dorado County, the City of South Lake Tahoe, the casinos, the South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts, Douglas County, and several businesses in South Lake Tahoe.

The service still misses a large area of the South Shore.

Over the last few weeks, local government has been sharing its plans for a new City of South Lake Tahoe-El Dorado County Joint Power Authority (JPA) to help solve the problem.

"We’ve been trying to get the attention of TTD for some time," said El Dorado County Supervisor Brooke Laine. "Funds from California are not being used for California. This isn’t working.”

Laine and Raymond Suarez, SSTMA executive manager, presented a plan to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) to form the JPA with the City of South Lake Tahoe. The City Council recently gave its blessing to the union.

"I am excited for the opportunity to partner with El Dorado County on forming a JPA that will improve mobility options for south shore residents and visitors," said City Manager Joe Irvin last week. "The unanimous BOS vote yesterday and unanimous City Council vote a few weeks ago signify a major step forward to collaborate and create transformative impact on improved local transportation options and connectivity."

Suarez said the public isn't eager to ride buses since COVD-19, and prefers a smaller vehicle, much like the Lake Link vans.

The route to a connected South Shore won't be quick, but it is necessary to fix what local authorities have said is broken.

The TTD currently gets all federal and state transportation funds, and Laine says it is available for the JPA. Placer County split from TTD and formed its transit authority and now gets federal funds for locally controlled transportation (Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transportation - TART).

California's Transportation Development Act uses tax revenues for the intent of providing transportation to communities. If no local entity claims the funds, TTD can get them. The TTD funds from California can be used in the Tahoe Region, and not just in the state, according to Laine.

Suarez said they have been looking at that model. He said a focus on local control will result in a robust, consistent transit - beneficial for all. The establishment of a JPA gives the partners immediate leverage to prioritize services and products - "a tremendous benefit."

Before the BOS meeting, Laine surveyed county residents. Over 500 people responded, with 80 percent saying they'd use transit if free and frequent and offered rides for recreation and hiking.

The current fixed routes in South Lake Tahoe run once an hour, and storms and a lack of staffing can often hamper those operations. The public wants less time between routes and reliability, said Suarez.

Laine said the next steps start with getting the County and City counsels together to start creating the JPA. They could join another JPA like El Dorado Transit on the west slope that already provides what was once the Amtrack service with rides from South Lake Tahoe to the Sacramento station.

If the City and County decide to form a new JPA they'll have to discuss whether or not to hire an operator to carry it out. They would then start applying for federal and state direct funding, or come up with an arrangement with TTD.

"Placer County and El Dorado Transit are good examples of entities that receive their own financing," said Laine. The El Dorado Transit came from a partnership between Placerville and the County.

With a new focus and energy between the City and the County to create consistent, reliable transportation, plans should be coming soon.