TAHOE CITY, Calif. - Leveling gas prices and fewer international workers living locally are leading causes to a 30 percent drop in bus ridership along Lake Tahoe's North Shore, officials said.
The Tahoe Area Regional Transit system in January 2010 saw 30 percent fewer riders compared to the same month a year ago, and overall ridership has fallen 10 percent to 20 percent in the last six months.
"We're still up higher than we were three or four years ago, but it's something we're going to keep a close eye on," said Placer County Public Works Manager Will Garner, who presented a January 2010 ridership report at last week's Truckee-North Tahoe Transportation Management Association meeting.
The biggest January drop came from the West Shore at 41 percent, according to the report. North Shore routes on Highway 28 also showed a significant loss at 38 percent. Routes from Truckee to Tahoe City had the third largest drop at 29 percent.
The other routes, from the state line