Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System

Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System
Passengers boarding a YARTS bus at the Merced Amtrak station.
Slogan Watch the Scenery, Not the Road
Parent Merced County Association of Governments
Founded 2000
Headquarters Merced, California
Service area Merced/Yosemite region
Service type Intercity Coach
Routes 4
Fleet MCI D4500CT
Operator VIA Adventures, Inc.
Website YARTS.com

The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, also known as YARTS, is a public transit bus line based in Merced, California. YARTS provides scheduled service into popular locations within Merced, Mariposa, Mono,[1] Madera, and Fresno counties,[2] including Yosemite National Park[1] and Fresno Yosemite International Airport.[3]

History

First proposed in 1992, YARTS was designed as a way to reduce traffic and increase accessibility to Yosemite National Park. In May 2000, after 8 years of planning, the bus line officially commenced service in Yosemite's neighboring communities.[4] To date, the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System has provided over 1,000,000 rides.[1]

On May 23, 2015, YARTS began operating on Highway 41 between Fresno and Yosemite.[2][5]

Operation

YARTS is managed by the Merced County Association of Governments, and governed by a Joint Powers Authority between Merced, Mariposa, and Mono counties. Each county provides two elected supervisors to serve on the governing board.[4]

VIA Adventures

Although the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System maintains a proprietary fleet of motor coaches, the majority of passengers utilizing the YARTS service are carried by VIA Adventures.

VIA Adventures, Inc. is a private charter bus company based in Merced and Tempe, Arizona. Through a contract with YARTS, VIA Adventures handles most of the passenger traffic originating from stops along the Highway 140 route. During the month of July 2011, VIA carried over 10,000 passengers.[6]

Routes

Route Destinations Period of Operation
Highway 140 Merced Catheys Valley, Mariposa, Midpines, El Portal Yosemite Valley Year round
Highway 120 Sonora Jamestown, Groveland, Buck Meadows May - September
Highway 41 Fresno Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Fish Camp, Wawona May - September
Highway 120/395 Mammoth Lakes June Lake, Lee Vining, Tuolumne Meadows Memorial Day Weekend

June: Weekends

July & August: 7 days

September: Weekends

References

  1. 1 2 3 About - YARTS
  2. 1 2 Wilkinson, Brian (2015-05-22). "Fresno-Yosemite bus service begins Saturday". Sierra Star. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  3. ↑ YARTS Highway 41 Bus Schedule
  4. 1 2 "YARTS celebrates 10 years". Merced Sun-Star. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  5. ↑ George, Carmen (2015-05-20). "New bus route from Fresno to Yosemite starts Saturday". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  6. ↑ Monthly VIA Report 070110 Archived August 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
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