BlueGo name for South Shore bus service going away

By Kathryn Reed

When the South Shore bus service known as BlueGo was launched in 2003 it was supposed to be a state-of-the-art system with high-tech computer terminals at kiosks and a name that would tie into what was known as the Blue World ad campaign.

It cost $4 million for the software and equipment for the kiosks that no longer exist. In fact, it only took a matter of months for people to figure out they were a boondoggle.

The ad campaign is long gone and now we are walking on the wild side.

BlueGo has been a questionable name since the get-go. Photo/LTN file

The last piece to disappear is the name BlueGo. After all, no one knows what a BlueGo is. But it’s still not known if a bus symbol might actually be placed on signs so people would know to stand there for public transit.

South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman Angela Swanson, who is on the board that oversees BlueGo, announced at the Oct. 16 council meeting that a contest will take place to name the bus system.

She directed follow-up questions to Tahoe Transportation District staff.

“We are interested and contemplating changing the name to better fit the service and the future, but we have not worked out the details to answer your questions or give you a time line,” TTD Executive Director Carl Hasty told Lake Tahoe News in an email.

LTN wanted details on the contest, when it starts, and the cost involved to change the name – like painting buses, signs and other things the BlueGo name might be on.

The other things Swanson revealed is that the system has been making money for the past two years and ridership is stable.

TTD officials are slated to be at the Dec. 11 City Council meeting to talk about what a free bus service would entail, the success of the East Shore Express, and ferry service on Lake Tahoe.