Yarts Yosemite Area Transportation System

I used YARTs for my trip into Yosemite. The times posted were very accurate and I got to my destination right on time. We got picked up at the Merced amtrak. My girlfriend and I paid $ 25 each for a round trip into the valley which is awesome since it includes admission into Yosemite. The buses we used were very clean and relatively new. The bathroom on the bus isn’t the cleanest but will do during the ride. We went during the winter so the bus was very empty and there were not many stops. I talked to someone who uses the bus regularly and she mentioned that during the summer the bus ride is terrible because there are a lot of people on the bus and leaving the valley the bus is typically in stop and go traffic. Our ride was pleasant and I would totally ride it again but I would avoid peak seasons.

As I big supporter of public transit, I was so disappointed in my family’s recent YARTs experience. The «half hour» trip from El Portal to the Valley took 2 hours, after the bus was over 45 minutes late. This was 2 days in a row. Five of the six trips we took on Yarts were very behind schedule and standing room only. Also, on more than one leg, riders were told there was no change available when purchasing tickets. I don’t know what happened to the riders who did not have the exact change. Also, why are not all runs made on all days, especially the weekends during the winter holiday? On weekends, unless you’re on the 6 am run from Merced, you will not make it to the park before almost 2 pm, which negates the usefulness of the service for many people. I know the buses are expensive, but my family’s multiple negative experiences (including two 2 hour rides with my young children standing in the aisle the entire time) means that in the future we will be in our private car, adding congestion and pollution to the valley. I don’t want to be critical just to be critical, but there is just so much room for improvement. Also, checking facebook for delays, which I heard does not work anyway, when there is no cell phone service in wide areas of the service region is not too helpful. I don’t want to add to the degradation of Yosemite, but YARTs has not provided me with a viable alternative. The 2 stars is due the reasonable ticket price, decent buses and courteous drivers.
Though, I am shocked that YARTs has such a high rating as there was a near mutiny on one of our rides, where multiple groups decided to just get off and either walk or hitch hike. I assume riders felt they had already wasted too many hours on the bus and didn’t want to waste another minute, even to write a Unilocal review, hence the high rating.

Although I think YARTS is absolutely incredible, and worthy of nothing less than 4 stars, I do want to just add a cautionary tale for the weary traveler.
The timing from getting off the Amtrak at Merced to stepping onboard the YARTS bus is nothing short of impeccable and. Truly Swiss in that regard. However, if you do not already have a ticket purchased, you may be in for a bit of a surprise.
YARTS has stopped carrying change and, remarkably, a card reader. So one better make sure you have exact change or else you will give YARTS a most generous tip.
So, I was a bit disappointed by this. Especially since they have advertised on the machine that they take Visa, MasterCard and other credit cards. Faulty advertising at the very least.
–1 star.

1^st time to Yosemite and we decided to take a chance on YART. Glad we did! Bus was right on time leaving Merced. It makes a few stops along the way, but basically a slow down because no one got on or off until Yosemite. Bus was new, clean & spacious… with a bathroom. Like the fact they have actual plugs in seats to charge phones, tablets, etc. Tablets charged means occupied kids. Ha!
Husband & I paid $ 25 each for our tickets and our 2 children rode free (with each paid adult ticket) Which includes the admission to the park. Can’t beat the price considering the entrance sign at the park said $ 30 entrance fee per car. If we had drove, definitely would have spent more than $ 20 in gas. As long as YART doesn’t raise their prices, we will only be getting to Yosemite through them. Thanks!

Maybe the ride is too long (4 hrs in/​4 hrs out) with many stops particularly around Fresno. That said, I may try this again. After all, I really did get some fabulous photos.

Very affordable pricing, friendly bus drivers!
I enjoyed the scenic ride!

Do the math:
Price of a round-​trip ticket from the Merced Amtrak station to the Yosemite Valley, $ 25. This includes entry into the park.
Yosemite entry fee for one car, $ 20.
So if you are going alone, it’s cheaper to ride the YARTS. Unless you can get to Yosemite and back on less than $ 5 worth of gas. A huge bonus is I can hike all day and don’t have to drive all the way back home tired.
The YARTS buses are very clean and modern, the seats are comfortable and spaced generously between rows. The bus also has a bathroom on board. I have always had an entire row to myself, as the bus is rarely full in the off-​season. YARTS buses even have seat belts for safety. The bus drivers are friendly and helpful, especially to out of town if not out of the country guests.
What I like most about YARTS: you can set your watch to them. I have taken at least a dozen trips on YARTS, and the bus has been no more than a minute behind every time.
I just wish they had a run to Yosemite that leaves around 8:00. I hate waking up early for the 7:00 bus.

great way to get to yosemite in winter. if u don’t want to drive and take in the views instead… service is punctual. and quite convenient. they operate from merced to yosemite and have a number of stops… info available on their website… we also got an enthusiastic driver… who gave us a lil’ bit of a conducted tour in yosemite!