Tips for Riding The Sequoia Shuttle
Are there restrooms on board the Sequoia Shuttle?
Can I bring a back-pack on the Sequoia Shuttle?
Can I bring food on the Sequoia Shuttle?
Can I take a bike on the Sequoia Shuttle?
Do I get a Sequoia Shuttle discount if I have a Park Pass?
Do I have to pay for a baby riding the Sequoia Shuttle?
Do I need a car seat for the child in the Sequoia Shuttle?
Is there room for Wheel Chairs on the Sequoia Shuttle?
What do I do if I miss/want to change my Sequoia Shuttle bus going up or down?
Where do I get my Sequoia Shuttle tickets?
Why do I have to book Sequoia Shuttle reservations?
Why don’t Sequoia Shuttle drivers accept cash?
Why is there limited Sequoia Shuttle same day walk up service?
Motion Sickness
Sequoia Shuttle is a comfortable drive on a windy road. Still, we realize some people are prone to motion sickness more than others. Avoid motion sickness by looking straight ahead out the front window, instead of the side windows. Try arriving at your pick-up location early so you can choose a seat closer to in front of the vehicle upon boarding. Avoid strenuous reading or hand held video games while on board. If you should feel motion sickness while on board, feel free to advise the driver if the sensation becomes unbearable.
Ear Plugging
To avoid the sensation of your ears plugging from altitude and pressure change, try swallowing frequently. For children, try a piece of hard candy, chewing gum, or a pacifier for smaller children.
Cell Phones
There is no cell phone signal in the park, so you may want to make calls before leaving the valley floor.
Transferring
When exiting the bus, or transferring to another shuttle at the Giant Forest Museum, remember to take all the items you brought with you, including trash. If you are bringing luggage with you, please remember luggage space is limited and these items need to be safely stored above your seat in the overhead space.
Parking
If you are parking at one of the Shuttle’s pick-up locations, search out the signs for the designated parking for the Sequoia Shuttle. Note that regardless of where you leave your vehicle, you should keep all valuables away from plain site and secure all doors and windows. As a courtesy, most locations will allow you to leave your cars parked overnight, but you will be leaving your vehicle at your own risk.
Important Reminders
Remember to schedule enough time from your hikes, picnics, and outings to get back in time for your return trip to the valley from the Park. If you should miss your reserved return trip, you may be able to return on a later shuttle on “stand by” pending space availability.
There are no restrooms on board the shuttles. We have scheduled a restroom stop, for those traveling up to the park, at the Ash Mountain Foothill Visitor Center. Check park kiosks for restroom information within the park.
Our shuttles are 16 passenger vehicles and have limited space for small backpacks, strollers or other carry-on items. They would be similar to what many airports use to shuttle customers. Please note that the more passengers and the more carry on pieces they bring on the more limited space will become. So go ahead and bring it, if it folds up, but please do not be surprised if the driver asks customers make do with whatever space is available.
Yes, you can bring your own food on board. This should not be eaten while riding on the shuttle because of safety issues. It should be stored in an appropriate sealed container. There is limited storage space on board, so a large ice chest would not be appropriate. A small one-day picnic size pack would be acceptable. You may bring a beverage that comes with a cap to reseal it and prevent it from spilling.
We have room for two bikes per shuttle, but you should note there are certain inherent dangers to riding a bike on a narrow and curvy mountain road. Remember to always obey park safety rules for bikes (try www.nps.gov/seki for more information).
Under the current arrangement shuttle riders will not be charged an additional entry fee to enter the park. The $20 round trip fee is applied to other expenses incurred in operating a shuttle service (e.g. fuel); therefore, it is not related to the NPS entry fee. We do need to gather data about how many riders have an NPS pass, so that we can determine if future discounts are feasible. Drivers will make a brief inquiry about this at some point along the ride.
Because space is so limited on-board our 16 passenger vehicles, we have calculated our cost per seat. Therefore, if a seat is used by a customer of any age, there will be a cost.
Our shuttles fall under the bus category under state law, so they are not equipped with seat belts. Therefore, car seats cannot be secured and are not required.
Yes, there is room for two wheel chairs per shuttle. As you are making reservations please make note of this in the comments box.
As mentioned before, space is limited on our 16 passenger vehicles. When you reserve a seat, you are preventing someone else from using it. Since our operation cost is calculated per seat used, we need customers to stay committed their booked travel plans. So, unfortunately we are unable to offer refunds on missed travels for any reason.
Similar to airlines, there is very limited flexibility for changes, but if you advise us far in advance (greater than 48 hours), we may be able to make some adjustments.
If you are wanting to return earlier than you have booked, please note that your scheduled return time is the only shuttle we can guarantee a seat, but if you would like to come earlier or have to leave on a later bus (Return trips only): go to the Giant Forest Museum and advise the driver. They will allow on all those who have scheduled reservations for that trip on first. Then they will allow other travelers, pending space available, on a first come first serve basis. So please plan well.
There are no actual tickets to pick-up. You should have received a confirmation page via email if you booked your reservations online. If you did not receive one, please check your SPAM filter to allow it through. The confirmation page and photo ID will be sufficient to get you on board the shuttle. In either case the driver has a rider manifest that tells him exactly who, were and when to pick people up. Please be present 10 minutes before your scheduled pick-up time.
The Sequoia Shuttle Visalia route has been limited to no bigger than a 16 passenger vehicle. Many shuttles are full and we would have to make customers wait at least one hour for an available seat.
The Visalia route shuttles are designed to integrate with the in-park shuttles in order save on cost. This means one bus is scheduled to leave every hour from the valley and assume an in-park shuttle route/schedule when it arrives.
With each shuttle serving several stops, we need to know if passengers are at each stop to avoid unnecessary stops when no passengers are scheduled.
Most Sequoia Shuttle customers want to make a full day of their trip to the park. So we find that, generally speaking, our last bus is likely to have more people than we have seats without the reservation process. Booking both your trip up and back down is the only way we can guarantee you a seat, so that no one gets stranded.
Ridership numbers are very important to us. Using the online reservation system, whether on your own or through our call center, will give us the accurate numbers we need.
Our drivers are required to do several things within a very specific period of time, and in a somewhat isolated environment. For their safety and the safety of the customers we do not make them responsible for dealing with sales of tickets.
Reservations close 2 hours before departure of each scheduled bus. This allows us to give each driver a complete and accurate list of riders traveling that day.
There is no cell phone service and limited radio communication in Sequoia National Park, so our drivers need to have all the information about the ridership before departure to the park. The passenger manifest will have all of the names of individuals who have made reservations, and the driver will verify that all individuals are accounted for. Same-day/walk-up reservations make it difficult to communicate ridership changes to our drivers. However, there is some flexibility. To avoid complications and to secure a seat on the shuttle, please book your travels in advance.
