Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System

The whole nine yarts?I connect to here using Amtrak or Greyhound (usually the latter) at "The Bus", and these local buses will take you to the park or anywhere in the greater Merced area, so it's a great service for those that come to Yosemite without cars, which is a bad idea if you ask me, but this eases the annoyance for sure.You can catch these all over town (like colds, or corona), and you can get into town initially using trains or dog buses. Merced Transportation Center is where you'll catch the Greyhound buses in Merced. It's known as "The Bus", not really sure why. It used to be a Southern Pacific Railway Station for Greyhound getting to Sacramento, to the Bay Area and Los Angeles. And also you can get to Yosemite from here.It's in the heart of Merced and is small and does a good service for the buses and the trains. Right by the little old Spanish looking house, which is very Cali, so it works perfectly.

YARTS definitely has its positives and negatives. I'll start with the negatives first. The times displayed in their booking system is different than the schedule posted online. And to make matters worse, times can change without notice. That's what's happening to me right now. I reserved a return trip on Run 10, which is supposed to give me an hour cushion before my Amtrak train departs from Merced. The time changed, and now I'm getting a 20min cushion. It's high tourist season so I thought it was best to reserve a seat instead of risking standing in line in hopes for a space. Now I'm going to have to do that because I have to take an earlier run. As I said, it's high tourist season and I expect there to be traffic. The positives are that they do wait for reserved ticket holders if Amtrak is running late. My Amtrak train was running 20mins late, so I called customer service. They said they would call the driver and ask him to wait as I probably am not the only person waiting for that bus. By that brings me to another negative. It's Sunday, and their office is closed. What if that happened today, and not on a weekday? I can't assume the driver is going to wait, though they would know the train is running late as the driver is waiting at the station...Another positive is that your entrance to Yosemite is already paid for in the ticket. And for someone like me who doesn't have a car, it is a convenient, yet slightly stressful due to the wacky schedule, way to visit Yosemite. Also, the buses are fully air conditioned, comfy, and clean. So if you are going to take Amtrak, I suggest to take their connecting service to Yosemite. Unfortunately for me, there was no more seats so I had to use YARTS. If you do use YARTS to connect to/from Amtrak, give yourself plenty of time, at least 2 runs, before your scheduled train in case the schedule changes. I now will most likely have to pay for another ticket back, but it's worth the piece of mind that I know I'll make it to my train on time.UPDATE: I was able to take an earlier run on YARTS with the same ticket. And there wasn't much traffic, so I was able to make it to the train station. But now Amtrak is late. But at least with Amtrak's bus transfers, they will have to wait for you if they're not on time. That's not guaranteed with YARTS since it's a different transit system.

If you are deciding to go to Yosemite National Park...in the WINTER...or even the SUMMER, you will have a lot of hassles that you will encounter. If you are wanting to go during the winter, be prepared to have gloves/cold fingers and frustration because, you'll need tire chains. If you come during the summer, expect long lines of traffic to enter and fighting for spaces. My wife and I found the perfect way to enter Yosemite National Park, and it was cheaper and relaxing than using your own car. Ride the YARTS, the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System.YARTS offers many starting points while keeping the fares low while starting from Merced, Mammoth Lakes, Sonora, and Fresno. It is highly advised that you purchase tickets online/via phone so you can save a spot on the YARTS. Times/Buses are limited on the way/from Yosemite. Check the website for accurate pricing and pickup locations. Fares can be low as $2 per person one way (if you are nearby Yosemite) or as high as $18 (further starting point away from Yosemite). You can print your ticket or show via phone. If you forgot to purchase online or decide to purchase on the spot, the driver does have change as well as a card reader to make purchases as you board.When you board, you are on your way. Let the driver take the lead and enjoy the view of the rivers/creek to the trees and high mountains. The driver knows the conditions of the road as well as the closures. It is a little adventure through the winding roads, but you get to focus on the environment. We saw the snowy mountains, collapsed rocks on the roads, animals, and the creek that may look innocent, but sure is dangerous for those daring individuals. The seats are very comfortable with individual light/air flow similar to an airplane setting. There are cabin storage as well as exterior luggage areas if you require loading onto the bus.YARTS was a surprise to us and it took a lot of the stress off our vacation. We heard there were Tire Chains/Cables were on effect and did not want to waste a minute pulling to the side of the road and getting the vehicle to go back and forth to connect. I haven't been to Yosemite during the summer, but I can imagine it being a mall parking lot out in the wilderness. Let the professionals drive you and take you home. This is your VACATION! The Yelp Journey you take is an inspiration for others. Whether it is for them to try or to be in the footsteps of your experience. With every Yelp Story, it gives another day of bright light from the hidden shadows. Yelp Today and be heard!

What a wonderful find. YARTS - The Yosemite Area Regional Transit System is something oh so worthy of consideration. On our last trip snow was eminent. We wanted to go to the park, but did not want to fiddle with chains, or the cost and time of chaining and unchaining. So we decided to try the bus. For us we chose the Merced Regional Airport to park our car, then ride the bus and enjoy the scenery and chat with the driver and other passengers. With FREE parking at the airport we were stoked. Our car was there a few days and perfect when we returned.We learned that there is also a park and ride in Mariposa that is well patrolled too. and the lot is near two nice Mariposa motels. This can be useful as sometimes reservations in the park can be difficult. Now my wife and I both have golden passes for the national parks, but they are unnecessary when you ride the bus. So from the Merced Airport it was 18.00 each, each way. From Mariposa it is 6 or 9 I think each way. Now if you are paying the entrance fee to the park, this is the real deal.Let the bus handle the chains and such and ride in comfort. The bus even has plugs for your charger so you can write nice things and post them while you travel. Once you get to the park the park shuttle is free. Wow!! What a deal.

The transportation is a necessary but ask the people that work at Crane Flat gas Station when I was care taker of Tamarack Flat back in the fall of 2012 the bus drivers and the people in front seats did not argue about electronics? What is the world coming to? Just ask JL

Public transportation to get in and around YosemiteMarketing department could do a better job marketing this line and schedule to Yosemite. To find out about this service we asked a driver.

Relax, enjoy the beautiful scenery and let someone else do the driving.The next time you plan your trip to Yosemite, consider staying in Mammoth Lakes, June Lake or Mono Lake.For $30 per adult, roundtrip including park entrance fees, the YARTS shuttle will pick you up at a designated area (We were lucky. One of the stops was our hotel in Mammoth, Juniper Springs Lodge.) and drop you off in the heart of Yosemite Valley. Explore for 5-6 hours. Then, enjoy the drive back.Shuttles are comfortable and our driver was super friendly. YARTS runs daily during July and August; weekends during June and September.

YARTS transported us every day from Mariposa, where we stayed, to the park. Our bus drivers sometimes drove a little fast, but they were generally helpful and really the only economical way to get to and from the park without renting a car (which we didn't do).

A really comfortable, pleasant and easy way to get in and out of the park -- no hassles with parking or negotiating difficult road conditions. Easy on and off. Friendly drivers and a really smooth ride. Highly recommended!

I was by myself, meeting friends in Yosemite Valley. YARTS gave me a great option to park at a park and ride, skip the last hour-plus of driving, and not have to pay the separate park entrance fee. Seats are pretty comfortable - not as nice as the fancier buses, but not bad. The stops in the valley are convenient.I wish that YARTS would allow 100% of each bus seats to be reserved in advance. Once a particular run is sold out of advance tickets, it's hard to know whether it will be worthwhile to show up for an unreserved seat, so since I was new to this I ended up reserving a bus 1-1/2 hours earlier than what I wanted. I had called and they said it probably wouldn't be full and that they allow standing, but I didn't want to risk it. My earlier bus was almost empty so in retrospect, I wish I had waited for a walk-on to the later bus, but uncertainty causes stress, especially when doing something new.But, overall, a great experience and Yosemite isn't too bad a place to end up 1-1/2 hours early, of course!