The morning and evening traffic around ski resorts can get congested at times, and that is why Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are trying a new method of transportation for residents and visitors who are staying close to the resorts. Chariot is a crowd-sourced commuter shuttle company that can carry 14 passengers. From December 23 to January 4, the shuttles will offer free rides to passengers. All users have to do is download the "Chariot" app, and say where they want to get picked up, and which resort they want to go to.
 "We direct them to the designated pick-up stop, and a Chariot will be coming every 15-20 minutes," Ali Vahabzadeh, Chariot Co-Founder and CEO said. "You'll be able to load your skis on board and get curbside drop-off."
Cody Townsend is a professional skier who lived in Squaw Valley for 10 years. He has seen, first-hand, how difficult traffic can be in the mornings and evenings.
"Ski areas are all challenged with traffic," Townsend said. "You've got a lot of people spread out and they all go to one area."
Townsend says many residents and visitors in Squaw Valley are faced with the decision to make the short drive in traffic, or walk through the snow with their ski gear. Chariot could fix that problem.
"You don't have to turn on your car, clean off the snow in the morning, drive down the road, get stuck in traffic and then park far away and then walk to the resort," Townsend said. "I think it's a unique solution. Especially, for the challenges up in Tahoe, where you kind of have to go up into the hills."
There are 750 homes in Squaw Valley, and the people who live or vacation there also add to the traffic.
"Christmas time, for instance, we'll have as many as three cars per house, drive half-a-mile from those homes down here to the parking lot," Andy Wirth, President/CEO of Squaw Valley Holdings said. "That makes no sense."
There will be 5,500 cars parked at Squaw Valley on any given day, with another 3,000 at Alpine Meadows. Wirth says that number can be reduced by 20 percent if the pilot program works.
"Fully loaded, we're actually taking 14 vehicles off the street with each one of these Chariots," Vahabzadeh said.
Chariot has 30 routes in the Bay Area and it recently launched in Austin, TX. Ford Motors recently purchased the company, which has increased the amount of vans. Users can pay through their app, similar to Uber, and some companies have made deals with Chariot to take their employees to and from work.
"We started in 2014 with people telling us 'Hey, we'd like a route from this residential neighborhood to the financial district," Vahabzadeh said. "So, we started crowd-sourcing those routes and launching commuter routes."
Vahabzadeh says the company could serve many purposes in Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.
"Instead of sledging through the snow or having to wonder about if you should have that second beer after skiing, we bring you back to your hotel or your HOA or your condo."
While the pilot program will be free for passengers, it is unknown what the payment method would be if Chariot's presence becomes permanent in the ski areas. Users would either have to pay, individually, or there could be a partnership between the resorts, Placer County and HOAs.
"We need their participation on this," Wirth said. "This is truly collaborative in its deployment and it's going to have collaboration to have a long-term sustainable future."
The 10-day trial period is expected to answer many questions, and could serve as a launching point, down the road.
"We're really excited about the environmental impact we're gonna make, but also of easing up the congestion and making these roads passable again," Vahabzadeh said.
Two shuttles will go to and from Squaw Valley while two others will operate in Alpine Meadows, running in the morning hours between 8-10, and evening hours of 3-5.
