The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is leading a regional effort to create a more coordinated, efficient, and sustainable transit system throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Tahoe Transit Study

The multi-stage project will consist of a transit governance study, regional comprehensive operational analysis, and optimized transit funding model.

What is the Tahoe Transit Study?  

The Tahoe Transit Study is a two-year planning effort that will:

Improve how transit services work together across the Basin.

Clarify roles and responsibilities among transit providers (public and private) and local agencies, based on proven regional transit governance models.

Strengthen coordination and cooperation among the transit operators that serve the Tahoe Basin in areas such as (data sharing, fare programs, schedules, and transfers).

Identify sustainable funding options to support long-term transit reliability.

A framework for integrated operations, funding and governance

How do I get involved?

We want to hear from you. Your input is critical to crafting a realistic plan that meets the needs of riders. We encourage you to:

Join public workshops and community meetings

TRPA and our partners will host workshops throughout the process, giving you opportunities to share your ideas, react to findings, and get insight to recommendations.

Take our community surveys

We'll launch online surveys at key points to understand how you get around, the challenges you face, and the improvements that would make the biggest difference. Survey links will appear here as they become available.

Share your comments

Send your comments to:

Kira Richardson
krichardson@trpa.gov

Follow updates here

Upcoming

August 21, 2026 — South Short Transportation Management Association (Agenda)

Time & location - TBD

Past

August 5, 2026 — Tahoe Transportation District Board (Agenda)

3:00pm - 128 Market Street, Stateline, NV 89449

July 30, 2026 — South Tahoe Transit Joint Powers Authority (Agenda)

9:30am - 1901 Lisa Maloff Way, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

April 30, 2026 — South Tahoe Transit Joint Powers Authority (Agenda)

9:30am - 1901 Lisa Maloff Way, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

March 4, 2026 — Transportation District Board (Agenda)

3:00pm - 128 Market Street, Stateline, NV 89449

February 25, 2026 — TRPA Transportation Committee (Board Packet)

8:30am - 128 Market Street, Stateline, NV 89449

February 5, 2026 — Douglas County BOCC (Agenda)

10:00am - 1616 Eight Street, Minden, NV 89423

Project Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The goals of the Comprehensive Operational Analysis are to: 

    • Develop a comprehensive service plan to connect and integrate regional transit in the Tahoe Basin. 

    • Create a governance roadmap to clarify operator roles and coordination. 

    • Establish a regional funding model to identify gaps and pursue long-term funding sustainability. 

    • Improve operator coordination for funding and performance tracking. 

     

  • The study takes into consideration: 

    • Tahoe Area Regional Transit (TART)  

    • TART Connect

    • Tahoe Transportation District (TTD)  

    • Lake Link  

    • Airport services  

    • Seasonal Shuttle Services 

  • TRPA, acting as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and the regional transportation planning agency (RTPA) for the Lake Tahoe Basin, is responsible for maintaining the Regional Transportation Plan and coordinating with transit operators to update short- and long-range transit plans. TRPA is also responsible for administering and allocating a large majority of state and federal transit funding, including the California Transportation Development Act and dedicated formula Federal Transit Administration funds. 

  • By the end of the project, the COA will produce: 

    • A Regional Transit Service Plan with a short- and medium-term service plan that fits with realistic funding levels, and a long-term vision (financially unconstrained) for a service plan that fully connects the region.  

    • A Transit Governance Roadmap that outlines clear roles and responsibilities for regional transit operators and partners, and recommendations for how agencies can collaborate to improve service 

    • A Regional Funding & Implementation Strategy that considers funding gaps and potential funding tools to help sustain and expand services. 

    • A Framework for Better Transit Data and Reporting with ways to better collect consistent transit data and tools to track performance to support future funding applications and budgeting. 

     

    • TTD's Short Range Transit Plan and TART's System Plan Update evaluated each of their respective operations specifically. This planning effort will consider both public and private operators for the entire Tahoe Basin at a higher level, building upon the analyses already conducted by TTD and TART.

    • TRPA's Regional Transportation Plan includes a long-term vision for transit services over the next 25 years, outlining a layered built out of transit services and the funding gap. The Regional Transportation Plan does not define who will operate which services or how the expanded services will be funded, issues that the COA will help address.

Contact us

For any comments or questions, you can reach the following contacts below:

Kira Richardson
krichardson@trpa.gov