Lake Tahoe is a destination people drive to. But once here, expanded transit services have made it easier than ever to get around without a car.

This week, South Lake Tahoe transportation officials announced the expansion of a popular and free transit service called Lake Link. It's an app that people can use to order free rides across nearly all of the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

Microtransit is already a proven transportation model for Lake Tahoe, with free on-demand shuttles delivering people to destinations in multiple communities that surround the area.

On the North Shore, microstransit is available through the TART Connect app. In South Lake Tahoe, it's Lake Link. The two services don't connect with each other, but each has grown in its own region. TART Connect provides rides between the West Shore, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Truckee, Northstar and Olympic Valley.

Now, with the recently announced expansion, Lake Link is coming to the Nevada side of Tahoe's South Shore and pushing farther out to South Lake Tahoe neighborhoods.

Lake Link now offers fare-free rides to the Tahoe Keys, Gardner Mountain, Lake Tahoe Airport, Zephyr Cove and the top of Kingsbury Grade Road, on top of existing service.

The expansion comes with a zone-based system that connects Lake Link shuttles to the Tahoe Transportation District Route 50 transit services. Door-to-door service is available within a specific zone, but for people traveling farther — say from Zephyr Cove to the Tahoe Keys — the app will coordinate and plan transfers, smoothing the experience for riders.

Chris Proctor, the board chair for the South Shore Transportation Management Association, called the expansion a "major milestone" in a news release. Lake Link started as a transit service affiliated with the new Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline, Nevada, near the casinos.

"In four short years we have focused on connecting more neighborhoods, destinations, jobs, and recreation opportunities with free, convenient transportation options," Proctor said, "we're making it easier than ever for people to choose alternatives to driving."

The expanded service launched on July 15. Lake Link is available on Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., as well as Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"This expansion represents the kind of investment that improves daily life for our community," said South Lake Tahoe Mayor Cody Bass in news release.

The vans are accessible for people with disabilities, and they have space for bikes and skis.

The expansion comes amid a region-wide push for a "car-free, care-free Tahoe," as Keep Tahoe Blue says. The idea is that people will park their car once, when they first arrive in Tahoe, and after that, they'll opt for alternative modes of transportation instead of their personal vehicle. "It's a future where transportation no longer depends on private cars, and moving around the Tahoe Basin is easy, enjoyable, and helps protect this fragile environment," Keep Tahoe Blue writes on its website.

Fewer cars on the road can reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as protect Lake Tahoe's water clarity. It's also more enjoyable when people have more time to spend outside and recreating, rather than circling a parking lot and waiting for a spot to open up at a trailhead.

Microtransit is one of a handful of public transportation options in the Tahoe Basin. In addition to free bus service, the Emerald Bay shuttle provides rides from South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma to some of Tahoe's most popular trailheads in Emerald Bay during the summer. ( The Emerald Bay shuttle charges $5 for most passengers, one way.) Another summer shuttle provides free transit between Incline Village and Sand Harbor. E-scooters are available in South Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Basin also has a growing map of bike paths.

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