It was never intended to be a free Uber, as if driving all the way across town is any better for the environment when someone else is paying for the gas. But it was intended to help make public transit accessible to more people in South Lake Tahoe.

Not everybody lives within walking distance of the free fixed-route bus that runs every 30 minutes along our primary corridor of highway 50. And some destinations don’t lie along that corridor either. The dream has always been for Lake Link microtransit to serve as a “last mile” connector to the core transit system.

And now, as of this summer, a major update to the service finally makes these connections a practical reality. A new software update integrates the bus schedules to automatically time your ride around easy connections. At the same time, they have expanded the service area to cover all of South Lake Tahoe and a good chunk of Douglas County, including Nevada Beach, Zephyr Cove, and Upper Kingsbury.

Let’s say you’re traveling from the Y to Round Hill Pines. You can book the entire trip on the Lake Link app, but you’ll be scheduled for a two-part ride. First, you take the free fixed route bus across town, and then the Lake Link van will be waiting for you for the last mile to the beach.

This is a brilliant solution to the challenge of long wait times, because while you’re “waiting” for the Lake Link pickup, you’re on your way traveling to meet it. And since the vans are making shorter trips, they are more available to get you where you’re going when it times well with the bus.

Say you live deep in the Al Tahoe neighborhood, or at the back of Sierra Tract. It might be too far to walk to Highway 50, but the new Lake Link app will schedule you a ride to a bus stop just in time to make the transfer. And so far it’s working really well!

If you haven’t taken transit much in Tahoe because it doesn’t go where you want to go, or isn’t close enough to your house, I’d encourage you to try the new Lake Link and see if it meets your needs. With free rides you’ll save money on gas and on paid parking at Heavenly or Stateline, and you can be part of the positive momentum that’s happening in Tahoe to expand the choices we have for sustainable ways to get around.

-Nick Speal

Nick serves on the boards of the Tahoe Transportation District and the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. The opinions expressed here are his own.