With a goal of being sustainable, Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) is changing the way they provide transit in Lake Tahoe starting November 1, 2018.

"This is a reboot, not an end," said Carl Hasty, TTD District Manager at the District's board meeting Friday. "We'll all feel some pain but it's not the end."

There will be some cut routes, reduced hours, elimination of winter shuttles along with an addition of service to Meyers. Buses will now operate 14 hours a day instead of the current 20 hours.

The West Shore service (Emerald Bay Shuttle) and its connections to TahoeTruckee

Area Regional Transit (TART) will also be discontinued. Due to the cuts, TTD will be able to reduce its fleet (at any time, 50 percent of the current fleet was out due to maintenance issues).

Para-transit services give 16 families in the Christmas Valley and Meyers area door-to-door service, a lifeline for many to get to jobs and classes. There was discussion about cutting that service, but the board decided to keep it in place without change.

"I want your commitment it stays," said El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel to the District.

"We're going to do everything we can to continue the para-transit service," said Steve Teshara, chairman of the Tahoe Transportation District Board of Directors prior to the final vote.

Nancy and Bart Libby of Christmas Valley said their son Evan uses the para-transit services its elimination would have had a big impact on his life. They said they are "very happy" with the board's decision to keep the service.

Other proposed changes to include:

- Modify Route 50 to operate two buses (50 A and B)

- Modify Route 53 to operate two buses (Route 55 A and B)

- Create commuter service to Meyers along Hwy 50 (Route 18x)

- Consolidate Routes 20X and 23 to create Route 22, maintaining commuter

service. The route will serve Kingsbury Grade, Tramway Dr. and Quaking Aspen

Ln. In the morning and evening hours, this route would extend over Daggett Pass

to Minden/Gardnerville. The bus will drop off people at the bottom of the road to Ridge Tahoe, not into the resort as current operations allow.

- Route 19x connecting Minden/Gardnerville and Carson City offering connections

to Jump Around Carson (JAC), Douglas Area Rural Transit (DART), and Washoe

Regional Transportation Commission (Washoe RTC)

- East Shore Express to operate with two buses (28 A and B)

The final plan for the new bus routes will be decided at the next TTD board meeting when a 2019 budget is presented.

As a cost cutting move, TTD will be pulling out of their offices at the Explore Tahoe building at Stateline. In exchange for rent, TTD assisted the City of South Lake Tahoe with staffing of visitor services at Explore Tahoe, along with a portion of utilities and maintenance fees.

In the past, Heavenly Mountain Resort and the U.S. Forest Services occupied that space which is managed by the SLT Recreation Department.

"The City will be looking for other partners," said Lauren Thomaselli, Recreation Superintendent. She said Explore Tahoe is busy year-round and it will be a good opportunity for another entity.

Since July of 2015, buses have averaged 765,400 riders per year. Once the Heavenly route is eliminated, TTD estimates that number will be closer to 516,600, most of that reduction coming from the ski routes.

“We understand the situation that the TTD is facing regarding the ability to provide transit service," said Andrew Strain, Vice President of Planning & Governmental Affairs for Heavenly and Northstar and a member of the TTD board. "We have been an integral element of the system that serves our community and will continue to be going forward. We are developing plans now for this coming winter’s service and will continue to assist TTD in their long-term planning for community transit service.”

The final schedule for November 1 changes will be coming out this fall.