Yosemite Bike Share

Project overview: Upgrade the aging bike fleet of the popular Yosemite Bike Share program — a free service for short, pedal-powered trips in Yosemite Valley — to ensure program longevity and reduce the carbon impact of vehicles in the park.  

How your support helps: Traffic jams are a frequent occurrence in Yosemite Valley during busy summer months, with cars inching toward parking spots, campgrounds, and trailheads. As the park actively explores options for addressing congestion, improving traffic flow, and decreasing air pollution in the Valley, Yosemite Bike Share offers a way to help reduce the number of cars on the roads: two-wheeled, people-powered transit.  

Yosemite Bike Share launched in 2018 as a Conservancy-funded pilot designed to help people get around the Valley in the summer without having to get in their cars. Instead of relying on vehicles for quick errands, such as picking up supplies in Yosemite Village, Bike Share users can use a mobile app to unlock a bicycle, cruise on flat paths, and avoid crowded roads and parking areas. In 2020 and 2021, as Yosemite Bike Share proved to be an exceptionally valuable (and popular) transportation alternative while park shuttles were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team introduced special safety measures, including sanitizing bikes and helmets between rides. 

After five years, the program’s aging fleet of bikes needs to be replaced, and the management team is looking toward an all-new fleet of steel bikes. This seemingly simple decision will affect all aspects of how the program is run. While steel bikes are more durable and safer for visitor use, this transition will come with novel maintenance costs and will likely require the program to switch bike-manufacturing companies, phone-app software, and bike locks. 

This year: In 2025, funds will support a full replacement of the current, aging bike fleet, and the research and administrative processes required to replace all 80 bikes, software systems, and locking mechanisms. We also hope to continue to staff the Yosemite Conservancy Bike Share with two part-time seasonal employees, who will work approximately 28 hours per week from May 1 through September 30. With your support, the Yosemite Bike Share team will be able to upgrade the program, keep the bikes clean and safe, and continue to offer a fun, environmentally friendly alternative to driving.  

Want to try the Bike Share on your next summer visit? Check out our Yosemite Bike Share page — and don’t forget to put on the helmet that comes with your bike (or bring your own)!  

Project partner: Yosemite National Park