Ribbon cutting held for South Shore’s new microtransit service
Tahoe Chamber | July 24, 2018 | Community News • Press Releases
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Chariot, a new microtransit service, was officially welcomed to the South Shore community on Tuesday with a ribbon cutting celebration held by the Tahoe Chamber and the League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue). Partnering with the League, Chariot began operating earlier this July, and is focused on creating a self-sustainable mass-transit system that relieves congestion and can provide access and a solution to better transportation to South Lake Tahoe.
Its 14-passeneger vans make 15 stops between Stateline and Lakeview Commons to address the ongoing traffic problem between Tahoe’s most popular spots. A mix between ride services like Uber and public buses, Chariot will be operating during a 90-day pilot program while collecting ride and GPS data to share with the League, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD). Data from the shuttles will help improve transportation planning at Tahoe.
Annually, Lake Tahoe welcomes 24 million visitors, more than the top three most visited national parks combined. Additionally, scientists with UC Davis – Tahoe Environmental Research Center recently announced that Lake Tahoe had its lowest annual average clarity in history. We know that pollution from roads is a leading contributor to clarity loss and by choosing Chariot, visitors and community members can help to reduce lake-harming pollution and protect Lake Tahoe.
“Traffic issues have been a problem for decades at Tahoe, and roads have become a leading contributor of pollution degrading Lake Tahoe’s clarity,” said Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD, the League’s chief executive officer. “We need to give people more lake-friendly options to get to and around the Tahoe region. By bringing microtransit to South Tahoe, we’re making Tahoe a laboratory for testing the next generation of transportation solutions.”
To ride Chariot, users must download the app on their phones, book a seat, and show the driver their ticket while boarding. Each ride is $3 and two routes are available: the Blue Line, serving South Lake Tahoe, and Round Hill Run, servicing Round Hill Pines (https://www.chariot.com/routes).
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The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) is dedicated to developing, promoting and representing the South Shore business community as the local chamber of commerce. The Tahoe Chamber provides resources, programs, services and opportunities to members to sustain a high quality of life for the community by achieving economic vitality. For more information about Tahoe Chamber, visit www.tahoechamber.org.