Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System

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, Tuolumne,[1] Madera, and Fresno counties,[2] including Yosemite National Park[1] and Fresno Yosemite International Airport.[3]

Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System
Passengers boarding a YARTS bus at the Merced Amtrak station.
ParentMerced County Association of Governments
Founded2000
HeadquartersMerced, California
Service areaMerced/Yosemite region
Service typeIntercity bus service
AllianceAmtrak Thruway, Greyhound Lines
Routes4
FleetMCI D4500CT
OperatorVIA Adventures, Inc.
Websiteyarts.com

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] The service was cut back to end in Oakhurst in 2023.[6]

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.[7]

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 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. About - YARTS
  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. "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. "YARTS Highway 41 Schedule" (PDF).
  7. Monthly VIA Report 070110 Archived August 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.