Bus #22003 - I pulled over to look for directions in a safe EMPTY parking zone where I wasn't in anyone's way (this park is DEAD, no tourists, no tour buses, no tour vans, no crowds or lines anywhere at all). The female driver (allegedly to me they looked female but I understand she could be a male with long hair and female voice) of this bus - middle to geriatric age, late 40s-50s, brunette hair past shoulder - who was standing in the middle of the road doing nothing came over to scream at us to get out of her way in a national park? We asked her which direction was the way out, she said I will not help you and don't care get out. She then jumped on her bus, slammed the bus door and angrily stared at me and peeled out the bus. A state licensed plate white jeep vehicle drove by a few moments after and was totally apologetic and helped us get back on the route to the village. read more

Yosemite Valley Shuttle - Female driver at 12pm 12/2/24 should be talked to. - Transportation Near Me - Yosemite, California

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Yosemite is beautiful but it has 3 real BIG problems - 1) shuttle services are not close to adequate & no indication of when the next one is coming OR shuttle schedule. 2) there is very little parking for any private vehicles- it fills up by 9am, so shuttles are essential. 3) timing of shuttles is not evenly spaced- in these pictures from mirror lake, 3 shuttles came at the same Time! Good point- Drivers are careful and helpful. read more

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Well you hear all the raves about the Yosemite Valley Shuttle. Granted it is a good substitute to take cars off the road. But it does have it's drawbacks. First of all most of the favorable reviews are from people who are traveling from Curry Village, and not from Yosemite Lodge nor the Ahwahnee. Good reason for this, as the shuttle runs in a counter clockwise figure 8 loop, with Curry Village where the two loops cross. Look at it like a clock. The Lodge is at 9 and the Ahwahnee is at 1. Curry village has 3 stops, at 7,6 and 2, with the Mist Trail at 4 and the Mirror Lake at 3. Mist trail and Mirror lake are the two big attractions. You can't drive there, and you can't get there directly from the Lodge and particularly not from the Ahwahnee, but have to go the round about way through the entire Shuttle loop. On the other hand, the Curry Village people can go to the Mist Trail with only 1 stop, and from the Mist Trail, go to Curry Village with 3 stops. If I want to go from the Ahwahnee to the Mist trail, I have to go through 13 stops, even though the Ahwahnee is less than a 2.5 miles away by road. It took us 1 hour of waiting for 2 shuttles to get from the Ahwahnee to the Mist trail, at 930am in March. We actually had to transfer from one shuttle to another, and the distance was only 2.5 miles. The sign at the shuttle stop says a shuttle every 30 minutes from 7am to 10pm. 1 hour to go 2.5 miles!!!!! I could have hiked faster. Second the shuttle is very slow, even during the off season. I timed it at 29 minutes to travel the 2.5 miles from the Mist trail to the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls in June 2013, through 12 shuttle stops. I was at the Mist trail during Memorial day weekend 2012 at 3pm in the afternoon, along with 100+ people waiting for the shuttle. After 45 minutes of waiting, one shuttle comes, discharges passengers, and loads up 30 people from the line. And then a second and third shuttle come within seconds of each other, and all three shuttles get loaded to capacity, with dozens of hikers still waiting. Talk about a zany schedule! The shuttles themselves do not have flexible grasp handles hanging from the ceiling hand railings, like you see on the New York subway. I'm 5'7" and can barely reach the hand railings near the ceiling. And there are few vertical hand railings available to hold on when standing. And you will be standing during the late spring and summer crunch! Definitely a design oversight. The shuttles may be hybrids, but they are still noisy, with a diesel-electric combination. We had a room at the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls not far from the bus stop, and we could hear the shuttles all day - a very unpleasant experience. The hybrids cannot run on the electric motor alone -when the driver was going out for a sandwich, he left the idling engine on for 5 minutes at one stop, with the diesel engine running all the time, spewing pollutants into the air. Diesels are not efficient for low speed stop and go driving, compared to highway driving -so their advantage over gas engines as a shuttle is minimal, given that diesel costs more than gasoline. And diesel engines run noisy and emit more pollutants than comparable gas engines. On the positive side they have an automatic level opening so you don't have to jump down from the front of the bus onto the curb, to make it easier for people with canes or disabilities. They are not wheelchair accessible, didn't see any bike racks, and no dogs but seeing eye dogs are allowed. Sign says no smoking, no eating, and no music playing, but I saw people eating on board in the back. A sign on the outside says the back doors are for exit only, but during the crowded summer, people will get on any way they can, including through the rear exit doors. read more

My family and a group of friends came to yosmite for my birthday. I brought my service dog with me too. Yosemite has a good shuttle service but I had a horrible experience with their driver shelley. I came with a big group and upon getting on the bus, half the group was already in the bus. Shelley yelled at my brother, "get off the bus and wait for your group". My brother is hard of hearing and disable, so regardless she should not yell at him. Very unprofessional. He doesn't understand English so we translated to him and informed Shelly the driver that half our group was already in the bus. She then allowed another group of 4 people to enter the bus. Again, We explained that our group was already on the bus. She then yelled at us to not yell at her. We said we weren't yelling and then She turned to me to say, "you can't bring good any service dogs". I told her her of shouldn't be an issue and she stated I need to get out of the bus. I was so shocked at her aggressive and abusive attitude. I just walked out. I can't believe this bus driver! So rude. When I arrived at my destination, a 2 mile hike, I met my family and they explained that they couldn't believe the bus driver would not allow a service animal on the bus. I told them I was so shocked by her attitude that I walked off. Very disappointed with the shuttle service driver shelly. read more

It was great to have this shuttle as an option for transportation. We recently stayed in Half Dome Village, and we appreciated being able to park and not need to deal with driving until we left. The "loop" that the shuttle travels through covers a lot of what a typical tourist needs to hit. The stops are easy to spot when you look for them while on foot, however, I have to say the map is a bit difficult to understand. If you are looking at the map, never been on the shuttle, and are trying to figure out which way to go (especially the two stops at Camp Curry on opposing sides), it's a bit confusing. However, ride once, circle back to where you were before the shuttle takes you to where you actually wanted to go, and you have it figured out. This shuttle is definitely a great way to ease traffic in the park, and to reduce pollution! read more

FREE transport! This is a great service provided by the National Park, it reduces traffic on the small roads and over crowding of the lots. It's very convenient to take and the bus runs late into the night. I got discombobulated one time hiking in the dark around Mirror Lake and hiked more than necessary (took wrong fork). I was super happy when I finally got back to the bus stop and found it still running late into the night, it meant that I didn't have to walk more to the car! =) Curry Village lot can be crowded so don't hesitate to park in another lot if necessary, the buses stop by very frequently. Wherever you go plan out your trip ahead: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/valleyshuttle.pdf read more

the yosemite valley shuttle is wonderful for people who don't want to walk or have any mobility issues....it takes you all around the valley floor. We used it once...it was winter and snow was everywhere. It seemed like a good choice to take the shuttle to the lower falls. the shuttle got crowded...really crowded...the shuttle took us all around to many stops before we FINALLY made it to our destination. It took a LONG time! I felt crowded. I think that it is wonderful that the shuttle is available ...oh and it's FREE! I think that it is unnecessary to take the shuttle if you are capable of walking. We walked the rest of the week...through the snow and uphill in every direction. it was beautiful! we got lost walking and it was an adventure. we took amazing pictures during our walks! read more

What fun it is to ride the bus around in Yosemite Valley. The bus will always get you there and the weights are real reasonable. I have found that the drivers Are very knowledgeable and very Friendly. I like being able to sit on the bus. And watch the park and not have to worry about parking. And be able to study the things I'm driving by as opposed to having to watch the road. When I drive around. I think it also helps. The number of cars in the valley to take the bus, so there's less. Congestion. I have been happy with the bus when I've used it and it always takes me back to the lodge where I love to stay. I got to go to Yosemite again soon. I haven't been there in 2 weeks now. read more

Not very many things in life are free, but the shuttle buses here are eco-friendly and plentiful and yes, free. The driver can either be entertaining or annoying, depending on how grumpy you are. We came this time around during two rather large snowstorms, so the buses had to navigate a lot of slush and snow, yet inside the buses were quite clean and nice and toasty. After hiking for 2 hours in the sleet, it's nice to know you can catch a shuttle somewhere pretty close by to get back to where you are staying if your feet just can't take it anymore. It's funny that you can get to the shuttle stop and wait until you think you just don't want to wait anymore, and then miraculously, after you've walked far enough away, the bus arrives, but you're already too far away to jog back and catch it. So either bite the bullet and walk or be patient. read more

DOLORES DESERVES A RAISE! She drove us a couple times and was super helpful and just the best!

Great shuttle service. Huge, comfortable buses. Bus stops can be a bit confusing, but the drivers are fantastic. One of the drivers actually sang throughout the whole ride. read more

Give yourself a break... Stay home. With all the construction and "Mayhem", not even the shuttles can help you. May 2017, we were there for a week... Average time waiting for shuttle 55 mins, per stop. Only 3 buses running after 4 p.m. keep in mind, the shuttle parking lot had 20 more the could be using... Park was full, camp grounds full, and parking lots full... The new concessioner ARAMARK was have stated that they will add more shuttles/buses as needed... When you can wedge another person on the bus be its standing room only... Time to add a bus. I'm sure their priority (ARAMARK) is looking good to their stock holders with that first quarter profit. Even the drivers have had enough. But ARAMARK and/or the NPS, wont do anything until someone gets hurt... read more

I have been coming to Yosemite for close to 50 years, and the shuttle service in the valley has been something I took for granted. That is until my recent trip. My wife and I went this past weekend and due to Covid and lack of employee housing in the valley, the shuttle buses were not running. Oh, how I missed them. Every other time I have gone to Yosemite, I have parked my car or trailer when camping, and not moved it the entire time, even if we were there for a week. We took the shuttle everywhere. Without the shuttle buses, getting anywhere is a hike. Forget about driving, especially if it is a weekend. At certain points, there is bumper to bumper traffic in the valley with visitors coming in and then heading out in the late afternoon/evening. If something as simple as going to the Village store, which is about a mile from the campgrounds, to shop for some food for dinner can take over an hour. I hope that the shuttles will be back in service next time I visit. I really missed them this past trip. read more

I'm a fan of the system because it sure beats hiking around and/or driving around and attempting to find parking. Like every bus systems, it's got its flaws, so don't expect perfection. I was here in the fall, and the buses were never exceptionally crowded, but I could see how they could be crammed in spring and summer. They were maybe at 40-75% occupancy, depending on the time I took the shuttle. I did see some people with bikes (but not any pets), so maybe the rule on bringing bikes has been recanted? Or maybe the drivers just didn't care, so late out in the season. PROS: Goes to a lot of shuttle stops. There are three different shuttles, depending on where you want to go. There's the El Capitan shuttle, Express shuttle (goes between parking areas), and the Valley shuttle. Heat was on, so it was nice to go out of the cold for a bit. A lot of seating options, including seats restricted for the elderly and infirm. Operates from 7am-10pm, which it's too dark to hike anyways. I believe the buses have undergone a green initiative. Considering how much they drive around, I think that's a really good step in the right direction for preserving the environment, but the diesel engines aren't ideal. CONS: Kind of unreliable schedule. In fall, I could wait up to 45 minutes for a shuttle bus to stop at my camp. It's incredibly slow because of the speed limit restrictions. It's not always clear what stop you're at. When I went, there was just an automated text bar that said what was next, and not a voice. People with kids tended to sit in the elderly/infirm section, and they never felt like moving when an elderly person got on. Yes, I sat in that section because my feet were blistered up from walking hours and hours every day. It's likely your kids' feet are just fine. THE VERDICT: It's convenient, goes to almost any place in Yosemite you'd want to go, and even has a green initiate attached to it. Yes it's slow, but it still beats walking everywhere you want to go. Often you have to wait a long time to catch it, too, but maybe they have more buses going in the summer and spring months? One would think so, at least. I've attached the shuttle map in the tips below, and it was invaluable in my planning. Tips: Here's a shuttle map of all the shuttle stops. I printed several pages of this out, so I could refer to it constantly. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/valleyshuttle.pdf Also, make sure you are keeping an eye on shuttle closings. Not all shuttle stops are open year round. read more

The best way to get around Yosemite. Even with gasoline at record lows... Why worry about refuelling when you're in the valley?? Do yourself a favor. First stop: Yosemite Village near bus stop 1. Park your car at day use and hop on and hop off the hybrid shuttles. Even in the snow, they put chains on so why worry about parking or getting snowed in? Haven't met an unhappy or upset shuttle driver yet. Always pointing out things to see and do. Great at recommending which hikes to go on or what is actually open in the park. Definitely use this free service while you're in the park!!! read more

What a fantastic way to get around Yosemite Valley! We made a lot of use of this free shuttle and I was very impressed by how efficient it was. It connects Curry Village and other hotels to the hiking trails and other valley destinations. Although people had warned me about nightmare-ish Yosemite crowds, we didn't find it a problem at all in Curry Village or on the hiking trails (granted, we were there in early October). What we did find to be a nightmare was parking. The shuttle saved us a lot of hassle in that respect. The first day we never even touched our car and just took the shuttle to and from our hiking destination (the 4-mile trail up to Glacier Point). The second day we walked to a hike and then took the shuttle back to Curry Village. It's efficient (even when there's a lot of traffic they direct you on how you can get off at one stop and walk to another close by stop on the other side of the loop, so you'll skip some traffic), it comes roughly every 10 minutes (although I swear we never waited more than 3 minutes for it), and the drivers are friendly and knowledgeable. Oh, and best of all its FREE! I was super grateful for its existence and would recommend people use this whenever possible to avoid parking problems.. read more

This shuttle is great! It is a hop on hop off and covers the majority of places in Yosemite. It is free of charge and is very convenient. The shuttle is spacious and has lots of room to hold everyone. The driver was very nice and I was able to see many places on the vehicle. Overall, I would recommend this shuttle to get to and from places. read more

The shuttle system has been recently updated due to a lot of road repair and redesign in Yosemite Valley. Stop numbers have changed. The system is very good if you know how to use it, especially if you know where to get off the bus, cut across the loop, and get on another bus to save time. Up-to-date information on the shuttle system is here: https://marydonahue.org/yosemite-valley-free-shuttle-bus read more

Use it, it is a blessing to your body and feet. Has 21 stops thru the valley. They valley loop takes about one hour by car or bus so it is large..7 miles long. Get a map of the shuttle at the tourist info stop before you go into the park or at the park visitor center. read more

Thank goodness for these buses! After a 6 hour hike it's nice to relax and ride the shuttle back. They have several buses going at a time. However in the late afternoon the line is so long it just may be faster to walk back. read more

Yosemite provides free shuttle service around the valley. Yosemite does not provide a service to let you know how long will take the bus to arrive to your stop in the middle of the valley. This app provides visitors to the Yosemite Valley an schedule to know when the next bus will be arriving to your stop. The schedule gets better as more people contributes. Please help as well, and let us know when the bus arrives to your stop number. You can also check a table of the last busses reported. This application uses your location to determine what stop are you located and how far is the bus from you. This application is not endorsed by Yosemite National Park. Features: - Provides a list of busses servicing the Yosemite Valley reported by users. - Only people located at the Yosemite Valley can report busses. - Creates a matrix of all the stops at Yosemite and their location including 13a and 13b at Camp Curry. This application may continue to use GPS in the background, which can dramatically decrease battery life. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yosemite-bus-schedule/id954918018?ls=1&mt=8 read more

What an awesome service the park offers. It is included with the park entrance fee so just hop on in. If you have been to Yosemite you know that parking is near impossible to trail heads. So I recommend parking at Curry Village activities area (where they rent bikes) and just take the shuttle from there. You dont have to worry about parking there. Its usually not busy. The shuttle drivers are really helpful, most of them have worked there for sometime and can direct you on the right direction. Inside the shuttles there is a shuttle stop map, it is right overhead, use it if you dont know exactly where you are going. They usually pass by every 30 minutes but I have noticed during aome seasons, like winter, they come in more frequently. read more

We decided to take the recommended shuttle from Parking to the Lower Yosemite Falls. These are the size of city buses. Returning, at one stop the driver repeatedly urged everyone to look out the right side of the shuttle to see the bobcat. Oh, the joke is on us, she was pointing out a Bobcat Tractor parked there. Ha, ha. She explained she needed to do something to relieve the boredom of driving in circles all day. At a later stop she explained that a certain trailhead was located nearby, and if you couldn't find it, you shouldn't be allowed in the wilderness alone. I don't care if employees privately tell stories about the stupid visitors, but we should not be openly made fun of. read more

Yosemite Valley Shuttle - Our driver told everyone to look out the right side to see the bobcat. She explained she needed to amuse herself after driving in circles. - Transportation Near Me - Yosemite, California

Visitors are recommended to park in the day parking facility near the village and use the free shuttle bus which runs to all points on the valley floor. There are 2 main loops which run from the village. The buses are quite large but can become quite full and crowded at busy times. However, for the sake of the environment, the shuttle bus is the way to go. Only one gripe - it wasn't made clear to us on our recent trip that the bus only ran from the day parking facility from Memorial Day and we were left waiting for a bus for about 20 minutes. read more

This is the best shuttle service I've ever seen. It is what I rate every other shuttle service against no matter what kind it is. They have gone hybrid, which is nice, and while I loved the old shuttles, this is a great step forward. It's THE best way to see the valley, and I recommend it as the first thing to do for a first timer to the Valley. It's great. read more

The driver of bus 21103 at 2:40pm June 24th was extremely disrespectful to my girlfriend and I. We were wondering which stop was the best one to stop at in order to reach our hotel. She ignored my question three times. As the door was open at one of the bus stops, my girlfriend decided to try and ask if this was the best stop to get off at, the bus driver responded "this is the closest one, what other stop would be better than this one" and even proceeded to close the door on us. read more

Free shuttle to all the best destinations? Why yes, I will take that. Thank you very much. Perhaps a route that's a bit unnecessary at times (do we really need three stops in one parking lot?), it'll get you where you want to go on the valley floor without you worrying about parking constantly. And the drivers are friendly to boot. read more

I gave 5 stars because for 1...just 1 bus driver. His name was Bill. He was polite, gave information about things in the park and was funny. The others were just not talking, other than stops...and do NOT look friendly. read more

A good number of shuttles circulate throughout the valley. For the most part the drivers are friendly. There was one lady driving who would not have people entering from the exit. I think they could use more signs as it's not really that clear when there's a lot of people around. Anyway it's all good! read more

If you just finished an exhausting hike and that last mile back to the campground seems impossible...these buses are a Godsend. If you want to just tour around the valley, they are great, and some of the drivers are really funny. If you want to use the shuttles to run to the store or get to the showers...not so much; you'll still want to use your car. read more

This shuttle is a MUST in summer in Yosemite and also recommended during busy weekend for any season. We usually parked in the car in Yosemite Village, bring our map and take the shuttle. It help solve your parking problem in Yosemite, reduce traffic congestion and importantly save gas. I am not sure about timing but the frequency is very good in summer especially when the bus is crowded, the next one come very often. read more

This is one of the things that make staying in Yosemite Valley great. You can leave your car parked and get chauffeured around in these hybrid shuttles for free. See the views, look for animals, read maps and guides, listen to the bus driver give a little advice or history or just talk to them at the stops and never get lost. The shuttle times vary depending on season, during the summer about 10 minutes and off season about 25-30 minutes. They run in the same loop so you never have to worry about getting on the wrong one. In Yosemite Village in front of the store there is a spot where you can transfer to another bus by walking across the street so you can save a few minutes by not having to visit stops in the opposite direction. Most of the drivers are super friendly and willing to assist you in everything from directions, trail descriptions, weather, road directions, even best places to channel your inner Ansel Adams. I can still remember the Romanian driver cracking jokes and talking about Yosemite or the bus driver who we stayed on the loop longer just to talk to her about the new species of owl and spider that were found recently. Great people great service. I would have given them 5 stars but we were there in December '10 and a couple buses weren't weatherproof and the snow on top was melting and the seats were soaked and smelly. Other than that they are probably the best thing man introduced to this valley. read more

Yosemite Valley Shuttle - Free Hybrid shuttle, can't beat it. - Transportation Near Me - Yosemite, California

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We visited Yosemite June 11 - 14, 2018. Buses were overcrowded, many times there were more people waiting than could be accommodated by the next bus. Why? Too few buses running. Why? Not enough qualified drivers. Are you kidding? There is no excuse for this nonsense. Instead of ten buses in circulation there were as few as three. The incompetent running this system should be fired. read more

I LOVE the shuttle service. Park the car and hop on the shuttle. Best way to get around Yose Valley. Some drivers are more entertaining than others and I had the best shuttle driver this past weekend. Someone who truly loves his job and it shows! Thank You!! read more

I only rode the shuttle once during our four days in Yosemite but they're a really neat concept. You can take the shuttle to the main attractions at the park. It was nice because older people and people with disabilities could still enjoy the stunning views. I also thought it was awesome that all the shuttles are hybrids! I'm glad they're keeping the park clean! The air conditioning was a nice break after a day of hiking in the heat. read more

Shout out to Driver ROBERT, stayed at Housekeeping Camp and took AM orientation lap on Green line. Chatted with ROBERT nearly an hour as he gave me directions and advice while answering my questions. That friendly advise saved me so much time and allowed me to organize a plan to see the park in the time we had there. Shuttle service only way to go as even in "off peak" season parking lots fill up at popular sites with day trippers and those staying outside the park. Shuttle has own dedicated traffic lane and zips by traffic except in places impacted by several construction projects. Green line has 20 stops and (ideally) arrives on 20 minute intervals, the road work often messed that up, as the shuttles had to share the road at these bottlenecks. After 10:00 or so they can get VERY crowded, standing room only. After 4:00PM (September) thins out as day trippers and daylight fades. Purple shuttle line goes out and back to El Capitan with a 30 minute circuit. Both Green/Purple lines meet at visitor center (stop #2)/(stop #10) Purple line does not go out to Bridal Veil Falls, Cathedral Rock, Tunnel Viewpoint, and Glacier Point. Either the 4 hour tram tour or your car needed for that. Save yourself the aggravation of bumper to bumper traffic and full parking lots, use the in park shuttle service and you only need to find one parking space all day. Say hello to ROBERT for me, a real treasure trove of friendly advise. Thank you ROBERT!!! read more

The shuttle system throughout Yosemite is absolutely wonderful! With the free shuttles, it allows for traffic to be cut down inside of the Valley. The Shuttle has many stops, including the parking lot, the Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lodge, Camp 4, Curry Village, and Happy Isles, just to name a few. The loop and numbering can be kind of confusing at first, or if you're not sure where you are. Luckily they provide maps and all of the shuttle stops have a numbered sign to help out. During summer, there are several buses out and about and you can expect to wait no more than 10 minutes at the bus stop. Winter slows down and the wait can be 30+ minutes, so be prepared! Overall, the hybrid buses are a great alternative to driving throughout the valley. read more

We took the shuttle inside the park and felt it worked really well. I'm so glad we had the chance to take the shuttle instead of having to fight the traffic and search for parking spots. The shuttles go through the stops in numerical order. So if you get on at a stop and want to get to a previous stop, the driver will suggest that you get off and go to the opposite stop that will get you in line with the stop you need to go to next. We will definitely make use of the shuttles for our next visit. read more

Free and easy way to get around Yosemite, especially after long hikes! The drivers are really friendly and helpful.

I don't get it. Amazing National Treasure and too many cars. We thoght - great - lets bring our bikes, avoid the traffic and get some exercise. Great idea until you realize the enitre park is WAY biking unfriendly - down to include the buses. They do not allow bikes - and when we had a bike chain break in the valley - this was a big problem. The nicest bus driver ever allowed us to sneak onto the bus, but management says no bikes? I say - what a lost opportunity to encourage bicyle use and minimize cars. read more