Tuolunme is now charging for shuttle bus

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OjaiClimber

Trad climber
Ojai, Ca
Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 28, 2016 - 06:19pm PT
There's more bad news. A new company called Aeromark or something like that (arrow mark?) has now taken over the shuttle bus. It is no longer free. The driver attempted to charge me $4 cash (they can only take cash, you know how many hikers and climbers carry cash on them), to shuttle from Tuolunme campground to Tenaya Lake which is a joke. The bus runs on natural gas and that distance was about 6 miles so $4 is a 600% mark up?. I told her that the website stated that it was free as well as the front entrance AND the park map they hand out. She let me on for free but then I got the whole story about the new hidden fee. It IS posted on the new grill and hiker store on a piece of paper. So don't go up there any more thinking you'll get to take the shuttle back to your car unless you've got cold hard cash. She actually asked me to call my congressman or make up a Facebook petition to get this to stop. Anyone want to put in some leg work?
Captain...or Skully

climber
Boise, ID or the fricken Bakken, variously
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:31pm PT
ouch.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:34pm PT
That is the Aramark gang, the latest in the concessionaire merry-go-round in YNP.

This is just typical. Some hosts!

Bathroom? Quarters only.

Ease of movement when visiting outside the Valley? Good luck, son.

Thanks for the update.
Lorenzo

Trad climber
Portland Oregon
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:49pm PT
Wait...

They charge you to crap?

There will be many fertilized trees in the valley...


Not to mention it's against California law and the Uniform Plumbing code, which covers all facilities in America.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:53pm PT
They've charged you to crap in Europe like forever.
I thought y'all loved socialism? You expect those poor sods in Compton
to pay taxes so you losers can crap for free?
Bernie will fix it.
Lorenzo

Trad climber
Portland Oregon
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:58pm PT
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_toilet

Illegal in California.
OjaiClimber

Trad climber
Ojai, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 28, 2016 - 06:59pm PT
Besides the outrage factor, can people post legitimate reasons why this will hurt the shuttle and Tuolunme in general? I'll start the list

1 No postings that the shuttle cost money on website
2 People don't usually carry cash
3 A family of 5 wants to go from campground to the lake, costs them $20 extra on top of entrance fee?
4 People will be driving their cars around more instead of low environment impact shuttle
5 Long lines at shuttle while people try to find cash to pay the drivers will cause shuttle schedule to fluctuate.
6 Foreigners will have hard time with the language barrier.
7 Not a flat fee so different groups will have different payments
8 Drivers will now be burdened with holding a "bank" and dealing with cash all day

OjaiClimber

Trad climber
Ojai, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 28, 2016 - 07:00pm PT
P.S. The toilet thing is a joke. There are no pay toilets in Tuolunme.
ruppell

climber
Jun 28, 2016 - 07:06pm PT
Not yet. It's federal land not California land btw. lol
Lorenzo

Trad climber
Portland Oregon
Jun 28, 2016 - 07:17pm PT
The GSA doesn't agree with you, especially in the area of life safety, which the UPC and I PC fall under.

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101288
overwatch

climber
Arizona
Jun 28, 2016 - 07:20pm PT
Yeah because that is the important point

vvvvv not the point of this thread
Lorenzo

Trad climber
Portland Oregon
Jun 28, 2016 - 07:22pm PT
Some people think Typhus matters.
kunlun_shan

Mountain climber
SF, CA
Jun 28, 2016 - 07:27pm PT
I don't think pay toilets are illegal in California. JCDecaux operates them in San Francisco. Homeless people can get free tokens to use the toilets instead of having to pay a quarter.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jun 28, 2016 - 10:41pm PT
Corporations have one goal: make money for the stockholders.

If there weren't laws prohibiting pay toilets (Greyhound used them for years when I was much younger and even more FOS, a nickel) they (Aramark) would likely try it out to see if it's worth it.

They are getting away with $4/each for the shuttle, it seems; and travelers are easy marks, traditionally.

Is that one way, or round trip? It must be one way.
Todd Eastman

climber
Bellingham, WA
Jun 28, 2016 - 11:27pm PT
Send a note to Rob Bishop of Utah (R), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

The morons in the House have been starving the agencies of adequate funding every time they get a crack at leadership.

You want a good Yosemite, stop whining and vote the pricks out of office!
JerryA

Mountain climber
Sacramento,CA
Jun 29, 2016 - 08:41am PT
What about writing to Congressman McClintock ? Yosemite is in his district.
Crazy Bat

Sport climber
Birmingham, AL & Seweanee, TN
Jun 29, 2016 - 12:41pm PT
The NPS website has a page that shows the shuttle buses now charge outside of the valley.



https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm#CP_JUMP_566977
OjaiClimber

Trad climber
Ojai, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 29, 2016 - 12:59pm PT
Yeah, the shuttle has always charged outside of the valley, just not inside the park.
i'm gumby dammit

Sport climber
da ow
Jun 29, 2016 - 03:03pm PT
Timed perfectly with the removal of the gas station.
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Jun 29, 2016 - 04:19pm PT
That has got to be in the new contract, I would find it hard to believe that a concessionaire can arbitrarily start to monetize services. On second thought, the NPS is the ones who gave away the park trademarks.
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