Industry News
After record-breaking ridership last winter and in response to the most recent passenger survey, Mountaineer, the service that offers free, on-demand winter microtransit in Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows, California, announced today it will again, expand its operating schedule for the 2024-25 season. An additional van will join the Alpine Meadows fleet on weekends and holidays to increase capacity and reduce wait times during peak demand periods. In addition, the operating schedule within Alpine Meadows will be extended by five hours per day to offer five days a week (Thursday-Monday) service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., matching the hours offered daily in Olympic Valley. Mountaineer will operate longer this season, with three more operational days scheduled than last winter.
“Since its inception, Mountaineer has been a reliable, convenient, and increasingly popular way for residents and visitors to get around Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows during the winter season without a car,” said Joy Doyle, Mountaineer executive director. “By continuing to expand our operating schedule and align it with what users have asked for, our intention is to give people even more flexibility and opportunity to move about the Palisades Tahoe resort community without a car.”
This winter, Mountaineer will operate 12 nine-passenger, dog-friendly vans equipped with ski/snowboard racks and one ADA van, between December 7, 2024 and April 20, 2025 as follows:
- Daily in Olympic Valley from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Thursday through Monday in Alpine Meadows from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with additional service offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Dec. 24-25, 2024, Dec. 31, 2024, Jan. 1, 2025 and Feb. 18-19, 2025.
- Daily between Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Passengers can request rides through the Mountaineer app, which is free to download in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Daily daytime inter-valley transportation will continue to be provided by Palisades Tahoe between the two base areas by the Base to Base Gondola and the Palisades Tahoe Express Shuttle when both mountains are open, weather and conditions permitting.
Placer County’s TART Connect free on-demand microtransit service between Olympic Valley and Tahoe City, and between River Ranch and Tahoe City, is offered daily from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. during TART Connect’s winter operating season. Request these rides through the free TART Connect app.
“It’s exciting to see how residents and visitors have embraced the Mountaineer service, and the impact that has extended to our entire region. It is their use of the service and direct feedback that has helped drive the continuous expansion of Mountaineer’s operating schedule since its inception in December 2018,” said Mike Martin, vice president of base area operations at Palisades Tahoe and Mountaineer Transit Company board chair. “Additional service in Alpine Meadows has been a common theme in the most recent and past surveys, so it’s great to continue to meet this need.”
Created to benefit the environment by reducing traffic congestion and improving the guest experience, since its inception, Mountaineer has taken nearly 70,000 cars off the road and reduced Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) by more than 118,000 miles. The service has transported over 400,000 passengers in 638 operating days, equating to 640 average passengers daily.
Learn more about Mountaineer and its operating schedule for the 2024-25 winter season at www.MountaineerTransit.org.
