Travel Reviews - YARTS - Public Transit to Yosemite
Travel Reviews

What people are saying about YARTS

Savvy travelers avoid traffic and stress by riding YARTS buses to Yosemite National Park campgrounds, trails, and scenic areas. No car necessary! Read reviews from happy YARTS riders!

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Awesome Drivers! I just wanted to give a review and say that our bus drivers with YARTS were so awesome! Jeff who took us from the Mariposa Park and Ride to Yosemite Valley Visitors Center was incredible! He was so kind and welcoming and went above and beyond to inform us of all the things we were unsure of about the park. He had so much great advice and so many wonderful suggestions and just had an amazing friendliness and kind hearted nature to him. We were so thankful to be on his bus and so grateful for all his helpful tips! He made our trip even better! Thanks Jeff! Additionally, our bus driver on the late ride (8:41-10:18pm) back to Mariposa did a great job as well. We were so thankful not to have to drive those windy mountain roads in the dark. Our driver did a great job minouvering around all the twists and turns and helping everyone get off the bus safely. So much so that when we got off late at night to our stop and there were no other cars in our parking lot, our bus driver waited to make sure we got to our car safe before waving and driving away! So so so kind and so appreciated as we were girls at night walking though an empty parking lot. Overall, we had amazing drivers and I had to give a review to say thanks and let the company and people know how wonderful our drivers were! Thank you!! Carley

I just wanted to follow up with you. We stayed for three days in Mariposa two weeks ago and used the YARTS bus to travel into Yosemite NP. What a great system. The buses were very clean, modern and comfortable. The stops were made very close to the published schedules and the actual drive into the park was beautiful. Thank you for helping us with information prior to our trip, being able to use YARTS added a lot to our vacation!!!!   Bob, O’Fallon, MO   

Had a great time traveling and visiting Yosemite. A small group of us who are visually impaired and blind took our first trip today out of Fresno.The bus driver was fantastic and his explanation of scenes outside the bus was perfect. We are going to travel with YARTS as often as we can. Thank you for your services.Our driver picked us up at Shaw and Barton at 7:58 am and returned home with him at 4:13 pm from Yosemite. We definitely recommend YARTS. Jaime, Fresno, CA 

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I love this service and now that I know it exists I hope to use it again in the coming year. The one thing that I have hated about having a car in Yosemite was dealing with the chore of keeping my eyes on the road when I really wanted to take in the scenery. Your driver was able to answer so many of the questions about the park and California. She was so kind and respectful to the other riders and professional in the execution of her job. I will encourage others to ride in and leave the rental behind. More time to look at the scenery, so much information it seemed like a guided tour, and once you reach the Valley, you can focus on the scenery. So worth it. Chip, Sugar Grove, IL

We just wish to share with you that we had a wonderful holiday going from San Francisco, through Yosemite , Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  We are particularly delighted to have met your YARTS driver, who was not only extra-ordinarily enthusiastic,  but her people skills were so amazing. She went out of her way to attend to the needs of others and exceeded their expectations. We were impressed with her customer service skills to both the local commuters and visiting tourists. Thank you  for making our holiday so special and memorable. We will definitely visit America again in the future and ride YARTS to Yosemite!  David and Jenny,  Singapore. 

“When we hopped on the YARTS bus going from Merced to Curry Village on December 29, there was the smiling face of our driver to start our pleasant journey to Yosemite.  Your nice and friendly driver  made an impression of the United States not just as we see on TV.  He invited us to sit in the front row seats and introduced us to the scenic spots along our way to our destination.  And, for sure, he drove carefully too. Time flew and in an instant later 2.5 hours had passed and we arrived at Curry Village.  We are sure that 50% of the reason that our trip was so enjoyable was attributed to your driver and the other half was Yosemite itself.  As a tourist, we think he is the right one for this job and deserves customer’ praises.  We were glad to have him as a part of our trip to Yosemite.”
Courtney and Kathy, Taiwan

“We were amazed at the punctuality of the bus…it was right on time…the driver told many interesting facts about the region and points of interest all the way to our destination.”
Tanu, Los Angeles, CA

“Your bus drivers were very professional and it was a great experience! Now I need to plan more time for Yosemite to visit again.”
Dan, Santa Rosa, CA

“We just want you to know what a delightful all-day experience it was and particularly to commend your driver for his excellent skill in maneuvering that big beast in tight places, maintaining a difficult schedule and all the while showing courtesy and concern for his passengers, young and old (like us) alike.”Marty, Jeanne, Brent, San Diego, CA. Read the full testimonial

“I just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful ride back from Yosemite, the other day. The coach operator was very personable and took us right to our vehicles in Mammoth.” Greg, Pasadena, CA.

“I have just had an opportunity to take advantage of your service from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley. I was very pleased. I am a backpacker and wanted to hike the JMT (John Muir Trail) from Yosemite Valley to Mammoth Lakes. Your service made that trip possible. There were quite a number of other folks on the bus who were doing the same kind of trip as I was doing.” Big Fan Len, Silverthorne, CO.

“Hi! I’m a recent YARTS rider and I compliment YARTS on the service. We had taken Amtrak Thruway service to Bakersfield, Amtrak San Joaquin train to Merced, then YARTS to Yosemite for the start of our (hiking) trip. The transportation couldn’t have been better – I am now a huge fan. I was delighted to find an alternative to driving, and I hope for an abundance of YARTS riders. Thanks for the great service.” Holly, Idyllwild, CA.

“I would like to praise a worker on your staff. I’m planning a trip to the United States and contacted you by email. I must say that I’ve contacted other transportation companies and your company was the only one who answered with such kindness and helpful information. I was very impressed by the kind service and am looking forward to my trip to Yosemite with YARTS.”Anat, Israel.

“Getting to Yosemite via YARTS is Awesome! I discovered YARTS last year and am kicking myself for not finding it earlier. It’s turned my vacation travel into a cheap, easy commute. It couldn’t be better, as Yosemite is one of the best places on earth. Here’s my route…”Joe, Oakland, CARead the full testimonial

“Would I do it again? In a word, yes. It was a smooth, safe, scenic trip. Should you do it? I guess I’ll put it this way: if I can have a good time with only one functioning foot, then I think you’ll have a great time — on YARTS and in the Valley — with two.”Read full travel review

“The YARTS bus was an informative way for a first-timer to visit Yosemite National Park. The next trip will be during the week in the autumn when children are back in school and summer tourists are home, but before the risk of treacherous weather on Tioga Road.” Read full travel review

“Thanks to the Yosemite Area Transportation System (YARTS), the constant drawbacks of overbearing traffic has been reduced during the summertime, making transit to and from and around Yosemite much easier and definitely much more pleasant.” Read full travel review

“A Trip to Yosemite National Park via YARTS is a must for valley residents.” Read full travel review

“My family and I had a wonderful trip to Yosemite on Friday on the YARTS bus. It was such a treat to see the sights and talk with my children (ages 9, 11), without the care of driving. Both of our drivers (there and back) were polite, courteous, knowledgeable and safe. We really appreciate what YARTS does for our community so much more now. I plan to NEVER drive to Yosemite again! ”  Sandy, Merced, CA.

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