New Bus Service to Yosemite Starts May 19 Goal is to attract 80,000 riders this year by Tom Zoellner San Francisco Chronicle - May 3, 2000 A public bus system will begin making scheduled runs into Yosemite National Park this month with a goal of reducing the number of cars clogging California's most celebrated valley. The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System will begin regular service from gateway towns in Merced, Mono and Mariposa counties on May 19. Round-trip ticket prices on the new buses will range from $10 to $15 and passengers will not have to pay the standard entrance fee. Officials are hoping to attract 80,000 riders this year. The system will play a role in the National Park Service's long-range goal of cutting back on the number of vehicles inside the park, said Chip Jenkins, chief of strategic planning for Yosemite. Traffic reduction in the park was a key goal of the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan announced by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt at a speech in San Francisco on March 27. The park service was actively involved in planning the new bus venture and even contributed $500,000 toward its $1.25 million budget. "We're going to fight like crazy to make it work," Jenkins said. If the public does not embrace the new bus system it could be discontinued after two years, said bus system executive director Jesse Brown. The contract to operate the system was given to Yosemite Concession Services, a private vendor that already runs all the lodges within the park, said National Park Service spokesman Scott Gediman. A fleet of seven buses will make most of their park-bound stops at tourist-oriented spots in the towns of Midpines, El Portal, Merced and Mariposa. The bus will also stop at several lodges within the park.