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
Founded 2000
Headquarters Merced, California
Service area Merced/Yosemite region
Service type Intercity Coach
Alliance VIA Adventures, Inc.
Fleet MCI D4500CT
Operator Merced County Association of Governments
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]

Communities Served

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. 1 2 3 4 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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