YARTS bus in Yosemite National Park
Credit: YARTS
September 28, 2020 - MERCED – The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) will transition to a winter schedule on October 1, 2020 for the service running on the Highway 140 corridor from Merced and Mariposa to Yosemite National Park. The 140 line operates year-round but fluctuates the number of runs to and from the Park when the seasons change. Other YARTS routes into Yosemite are seasonal in nature and operate only in the summer months. This includes the service along Highway 120 from Sonora which will end on September 30, as well as the service along the Highway 395/120 corridor from Mammoth Lakes which will finish for the year on October 15. The summer service between Fresno and Yosemite on Highway 41 concluded early this year due to area wildfires in early September.
The YARTS 2020 summer service was abbreviated due to a late start caused by the COVID-19 shutdown which resulted in the temporary closure of Yosemite. YARTS’ summer service will resume from Sonora and Fresno in May 2021 and the route into Mammoth Lakes will resume in June 2021.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, YARTS has made several operational adjustments to increase the safety of passengers that continue to be in effect. In addition to increased sanitation measures, all passengers are required to wear face masks when riding YARTS. In order to promote social distancing, capacity on all buses is limited to a maximum of 30 passengers. With most of the 30 seats able to be reserved in advance, there is very limited space for walk-on passengers. Therefore, reservations are highly encouraged.
Reservations can be made for YARTS tickets on the YARTS website at: www.yarts.com. There are no additional charges to get into Yosemite beyond the YARTS fare, and passengers do not have to have a day-use permit issued by the National Park Service to ride. For more information about YARTS schedules, routes, COVID-19 safety measures, or to book tickets, please visit www.yarts.com or call (877) 989-2787.
YARTS is a California Joint Powers Authority comprised of Merced, Mariposa and Mono Counties in partnership with Caltrans, Federal Highway Administration, National Park Service and the United States Forest Service. The Merced County Association of Governments provides administrative services and operational support for YARTS.
Source: YARTS
