WElCOME

Welcome.
There were many bus changes this year.
However, I think I am up and current on enough bus information to make this a viable blog again.
Don't hesitate to make comments that ask questions or correct errors.
I hope this is a helpful guide to using the current bus system in Vegas.
The usual tourist routes were not changed with the new change of service.
However, there is a proposal for radical rate changes, probably not to come in to effect until September 2012.  Near that time, check to see what is current.  I'll post what I know when I know it.

Avoid strip buses with heavy luggage Flamingo eateries

I rarely advise against bus travel, but my rides on SDX and Deuce with my huge suitcase were uncomfortable.  I took one from the SSTT to Paris and that might have been okay had I positioned myself in the middle of the SDX where I could exit in crowds without difficulty.  I sat in the back and it was a job getting out.
The Deuce I caught at Venesian to take downtown and I could barely get in the bus.  No one would move back.  Finally I managed to bet my bag wedged into the space next to the seat the faces the middle door and then I was good, standing, until I got off at Carson.

Going from downtown to the strip and getting off across from Harrah's was very easy.  That bus did not seem crowded.  I'd do that again.
But if I start my 22 Vegas nights at Imperial Palace again, I'll take the 109 to Flamingo, buy my 30 day pass at that intersection at the Albertson's of Walgreen's and then take the Flamingo to the strip.  Those buses are never as crowded as strip buses.


Although I rented a car for a week of my 23 night stay this past time, I still got my $30 in value from riding the bus the rest of the time.  And it was fine to have the pass in my wallet and not have any hassle looking for it to ride the SDX or the Boulder buses to Sam's Town. 

Going there too I'd advise using the HDX to get to Sam's and then taking the Sam's shuttle back or making a plan on the strip and getting the 202 from the Cannery.  I just did not like the feel of that Nellis bus stop, and the BHX is just so much longer.  Especially late at night the 202 to the strip and a strip bus home again after perhaps a bit of food at Ellis Island or poker at Flamingo seems the most comfortable ride to me.

Here are eateries I listed along Flamingo, accessible on the 202.

Weiner Schnitzel
Panda Express
Zoba's Mexican Grill
Chill n yogurt
REd Lobster
Buffet Asian
McDonald's classic
Olive Garden
Blueberry Hill Dine
Long John Silver
Raising Cane
jack in the Box
Mint india Bistro (Swenson)
Bucadi Beppo
Ghandi
Mortan Steak House
Bahama Breeze
Hamap of Japan
Fogo de Chao
McCormic and Shmick (across from Tuscany)
lawry's Prime Rib
Tuscany Cantina


Note too that we can transfer to the Centennial Express at Maryland to take us downtown.  The schedule needs attention or there is a long wait for this one.  it does not run from a bit after 11 PM until about 7AM
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/route/centennial/centennial(05-20-12).pdf

Note too that there is a library along the Flamingo route.  I think it is at the Algonquin stop.

Buses around the Stratosphere

I owe someone a big apology on these stops. I thought the stop alongside Denny's was a shared SDX/ Deuce stop, but it is a shared 108/SDX. I caught my error on the thread that mattered and reported my confusion before the person went from the airport late at night.
However, I feel bad to have remembered in error.
The Deuce stops heading downtown on the other side of Denny’s.
I carefully checked out the bus stops around the Stratosphere, and I hope I have the right details now.
The easiest way to explain the stops is to position yourself in the intersection where all roads meet (Las Vegas Blvd, Main St. and St Louis) and face the Alarm business that has been there since 1950 and is likely to remain a landmark.
To your left and off the LV Boulevard is where the SDX drops off from Downtown and picks up on its way to the strip. It is right in front of a Carl's Jr. fast food, so that makes it seem a safe stop even at night as Carl's gives you a place to duck into if your street smart hackles rise for any reason just as Denny’s does in the other location. Denny's has the added advantage of having large windows where you can watch for the bus and other people can watch you.

To your right and in front of the Stratosphere is the stop where the Deuce drops off on the way from downtown and picks up for the journey to the strip.
This is a very safe spot.
You could stay in the casino while waiting for the bus. The stop is just a few steps from one casino door.
Behind you at the Denny's is that shared 108/SDX stop. Denny's is open 24 hours and the stop is right in front of glass windows, so you would never be waiting there alone.
The stop that drops Deuce traffic from the strip to downtown is located behind the Denny’s.
This one still seemed safe to me.
There is also one farther South from where you are standing and directly across from the Stratosphere main entrance. It might seem to some just enough isolated and unlighted to be worrisome after dark. And it can't be accessed from the Stratosphere by just crossing the street. To access from our position facing the Alarm business, you would have to cross over to the Alarm business and walk a bit South on the Blvd.
Were I using any of these buses I would not exit the Stratosphere by the main door, but work my way back to either the door near the Deuce stop or one farther back that leads into the parking lot and is almost across the street from the Denny’s.
I don't want to overly concern anyone, and I don't expect trouble right around the Stratosphere, even at night. However, just a few short blocks away there is trouble every night. So you never know.
I could have been killed walking midday to the Deuce stop on my way to check things out. I was on the right side of the sidewalk when without any warning a guy in a golf cart like motorized vehicle flashed right by me at a speed in great excess of anything that should happen on a sidewalk. Had I just staggered left at the wrong time, he would have knocked me down, and at his speed, could have killed me. Just a little bell or horn would have helped keep me safe, but many local drivers in Vegas figure tourists are expendible. There always seem to be so many of them in the way.
Also note that the 108 stop right near Denny's makes getting to the Stratosphere from the airport a short bus ride on a bus route that comes much more regularly than the WAX. This is an isolated casino, but for bus riders it is well positioned. Downtown from the Stratosphere is an uncrowded bus ride at any time, and coming back even early in the morning is very safe with the dropoff just steps from that casino door.

I did not check out the 108 stop heading back to the airport. I can see it is not far, but I did not check for safety issues.

Also, for those who arrive by air during the SDX running hours(until midnight anyway,) this is an alternative route to downtown. Changing to the SDX here is easy. And if you arrive hungry after a long flight, and want a quick bit at Denny's, it is a fine route.
The crowded conditions I experienced putting my luggage on the SDX from SSTT to Paris would not apply as the crowds are gone by the time the SDX reaches the Stratosphere and the 108 winds its way out of major traffic areas and would rarely be crowded.