Service extended in Placer County through April 2022
KINGS BEACH, Calif. – The Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved $530,000 in transient occupancy tax funds to expand the TART Connect on-demand transit pilot program for the winter season.
The funding will allow continued TART Connect service from December through April 2022, and will expand service into the Cedar Flat and Carnelian Bay area neighborhoods, now covering all Placer communities along Lake Tahoe.
TART Connect hosted over 2,900 passenger trips in the first 12 days of its operation, launched earlier this month. The average wait time for a ride was around seven minutes and for the period of July 1-5, 32% of the rides in the Tahoe City area were shared, which means many additional vehicles were kept off the road.
Known as TART Connect, the free shuttle service relies on eight small transit vans to provide curb-to-curb service throughout North Lake Tahoe. Passengers can request the service through a mobile application, similar to how popular services such as Uber and Lyft operate. Passengers who don't have the app can call 530-214-5811 to schedule a ride.
"We know that it is vital that we reduce traffic impacts throughout the basin with innovative programs…"
Cindy Gustafson, District 5 Supervisor
"When I look at programs such as TART Connect, I see a new opportunity for our visitors and residents to take care of our region by choosing more sustainable and responsible transportation options.", said District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson
Pilot Program
By working together, we can build a vibrant visitor-based economy at North Lake Tahoe while mitigating the impact of visitors," " said Andy Chapman, president and CEO of the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau. "This will be remembered for a long time as the bright summer following some dark days. We hope it also is remembered as the year we all learned to connect with TART Connect."
The pilot service will be contracted through Squaw Downtowner, LLC, which will provide the vehicles, drivers and software to operate the service. Transient occupancy tax dollars will be used to fund the $506,000 pilot program under the recommendation of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association.
The microtransit program is one of the many TOT-funded efforts being taken by Placer County to reduce traffic impacts in North Lake Tahoe. Taking a triage approach to increasing mobility in the region, the county is working to address all areas of transportation including road mobility, alternative transportation, pedestrian support and public transit incentives.
This program is another tool in the toolbox to those broader efforts.