Open letter

I write daily on 5 or 6 Vegas discussion boards, so I think I can reflect the frustrations of tourists in general.

1.  The first frustration is based on your continued attempts to make second class senior bus riders out of senior  tourists.  As I understand it, after 9-11, senior tourists will get no reduced consideration on strip buses even if they start their day's journey on residential buses.  Many of us who stay downtown may start at the BTC and do some exploration on a residential bus route in the morning and daytime, but at midnight we are uncomfortable standing at bus stops off the strip.  At this point the  24 hour pass we bought is no good for a ride back on the Deuce or SDX although what actually happens if we board an SDX with a 24 hour residential pass and no local ID is unclear as there is no longer any upcharge, even for tourists.  Is our 24 hour pass to be thrown away while we buy yet another ticket for our strip bus?  If we are seniors who started with $2 for 24 hours, do we now have to pay $5 just to ride once?

Notes on Facebook indicate that one option is to buy a 5 day all access pass at BTC or Walgreen's because apparently the 5 day is not just all access when no bus driver asks for an ID, but actually planned as all access by definition, although your website information contradicts what was told me on Facebook.  

2. Boarding the WAX at the airport does not give any options on planning a trip's transportation and buying a bus pass other than a 24 hour pass, which the bus driver says is good on all buses, but your site says is not good.  

This is very confusing to tourists.  

The second stop the WAX makes in on the strip, but a 24 hour pass sold on the WAX is theoretically not going to satisfy the Deuce bus driver, or maybe it is going to because he does not actually check a local ID and the local ID stuff is more theory than practice.  But that is confusing.

When tourists come off the airplane and board the bus, they should be able to buy what they need in bus passes to satisfy their trip, either from the driver or from  a vending machine and senior reductions should be included in the offerings. They should not have to pay for a one way bus ride downtown to buy a 3 or 5 day pass.

I have been promoting bus over rental car and cab or whenever tourists are drunk or tired, but it is so confusing that many tourists are just put off because they can't figure out what to do and don't like that what they figure out while they plan a trip may be different when they arrive.

 

Other smaller irritations:

I am saddened by the reduction in service and routes 202 and 201.  When tourists stay out on Boulder, as more may now with the new express buses, we can use Sam's Town free shuttle to get us to the strip, but we need something to get us back late at night.  It is hard to have the 202 running just once an hour in the early morning hours and not going the same route each time.  

I am still confused on that early morning change because the bus driver on the 202 told me that the 202 goes to Eastside Cannery 24/7 and sits there for a break before it heads back to the strip.   Does that make the Eastside Cannery a nice safe place to grab a 202 in the middle of the night? Does the route pull back in the early morninghours affect access to casinos on Boulder.   I can't figure that out.

Goggle bus searches are great, but often the Deuce and the SDX dominate a search although they don't want luggage.  There needs to be a category that shows tourists routes to places as we go from hotel to hotel with luggage.  The Deuce is not luggage friendly.  I am unsure of the SDX as I was told it was up to the driver, but we don't see the driver as we board.  

Having buses that access the strip with luggage is a real tourist need and would encourage folks to use the WAX from the airport and give them some flexibility to stay different places without high cab fares in between.  In fact, having a handout just for airport arrivees that defined how to get to casinos and ways to access them with luggage would simplify the process for us.  

It might say here is how to go to the Wynn with luggage and include the WAX Koval stop and the 119 .

As the fare structure radically changes to make the strip buses much more expensive, it would be good to have a second category of searches that just reflected the residential buses so we could plan things with residential buses in the way our GPS will plan trips excluding toll roads or highways.

I have not yet seen a route for the new express that links downtown with Henderson and puts all those casinos along boulder in reach.   I would lobby that there be a stop in a safe location.  Right now I catch the 107 up by the Western, but I won't do it with luggage or really late at night.  It was great to have the WAX actually drop us near the Fremont Experience.  That is an easy and safe place to exit or wait.  I am hoping the new Boulder Highway bus will be routed to to that as well.

I don't know if safety is considered in established stops or not, but we tourists do take that into account especially when we have a suitcase will all out belongings.  That NYNY stop for the WAX is just great as is the stop on the other side to access the airport.  They are near the strip and security on bikes passes regularly.  I don't mind sitting there at 2 am but I was not certain if I wanted to sit where I might have to wait for the 108 or 109 out away from normal tourist areas.  It may be fine, but it just did not feel quite right.

I also love the drop off of the 202 at Tuscany, at Terribles, at Eastside Cannery or at Gold Coast going West.  These are right there next to the casino parking lots and even at 3 am feel safe.

I am unsure about Sam's Town drop off.  I'd like to be able to cross the street right there and go directly to Sam's town both with luggage and late at night for safety rather than to have to walk back for a light.

Thanks for reading.  I know this was pretty critical, so I need to assure you that overall I like buses, actively work to promote their use among visiting tourists and am excited about the new buses that started last November and those to start in September.

And whatever you have done to trail drivers approaches the miraculous when compared with the drivers I encountered 20 years ago.  They are just wonderful with me and with everyone.  That and the announced stops help tourists feel certain they won't miss a stop and encourage them to want to ride.

Thanks for that.

Sincerely,

Dewey Hill

What are these buses in Vegas: overview

While I am not keeping anything up to date here, and while in September it all starts to change again, I did think that this overview was pretty well written.
At Walgreen's on Fremont they sell 5 day passes and those are the best deals.  Whether they will still sell them there or the passes will cost the same in November is anyone's guess.  I did get it on Facebook that the 5 day passes were good for tourists as well as locals.  The requirement to show an ID on a residential 5 day pass apparently has been waived while they still claim it for 24 hour passes.

http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2011/06/buses-in-vegas-overview-boilerplate.html

From Scotland these folks choose the bus

Link below contains a fine frugal trip report from a person from Edinburgh, Scotland
(click to get a taste of that city)  http://www.edinburgh.org/
 who uses the buses to make a frugal Vegas trip.  It really puts in perspective our addiction to the automobile to see folks from across the water so easily get all around Vegas using the buses and not finding anything to rant or complain about.
Ironic is that they become tour directors for some girls from Louisiana.  Because they are comfortable on buses, they can easily show these girls how to navigate.  Amazing, really.


"We caught the SDX outside back to the Stratosphere. We got chatting to 2 girls from Louisiana on the bus, who were going to go up the Strat Tower so we showed them where to go and ended up going up the tower with them. They were really nice girls and after we’d seen all there was to see at the top we asked them if they wanted us to take them Downtown and show them around down there. They were up for that and we got there about 9.30pm so showed them the zip line first and then went up to Binions where we all had our photos taken with the $1 million. We moved further up towards the Plaza and watched the Chinese gentleman making copies of peoples faces out of clay. Then the 10pm Queen lightshow came on so we watched that. We then went down to collect our photos from Binions and we were going to leave the girls to have something to eat but they decided that they were really tired and wanted to go back to the Bellagio. We all hopped on the SDX and said goodbye when we got off at the Strat. They were so grateful for everything we’d done for them as they wouldn’t have gone Downtown without us." 


The full trip report is here:
http://blonde4ever.yuku.com/topic/19913/master/1/?page=1

May 2011 trip bus experiences

http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2011/05/tr-snippet-bus-rotues-and-rides.html

Buying reduced fare or longer time passes

As well as the vending machines, 30 day passes can be bought at these locations, but there may be a service fee:

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/fare_vendors.cfm

Some passes, like 30 day passes and some reduced fare passes dont' seem to be always offered in the vending machines.

Here is a report about buying from the South Strip TT
"Called the SSTT and they said you could get discounted-fare passes during normal working hours, which she defined to me as 7am to 6pm."

Deciding to WAX or not

One of the changes in November was the opening of the new BTC.  This is five blocks from the Fremont Experience and the casinos.  Some don't mind the walk, but I don't want to make it solo with luggage and perhaps not at all.  So getting by bus between downtown casinos and the BTC means catching a bus.  This is a great summary of all the possible ways to do that collected by a Vegas local who is very savy about bus routes, fares, and schedules.
Remember that the Deuce and the SDX will not always welcome luggage if it is larger than a student bookbag.

PDOG’S INFORMATION

from Vegasmessage board.

Yeah, often before you can WAX on, WAX off, you have to allow time to WANE.
And while the English idiom is generally "WAX and WANE," the bus reality is generally more like, "WANE and WAX."

However, there is the alternative of the 108 or 109 and then something else to get you from the BTC, like 113(or see below for more choices.)
It is tempting when you see that 108 or the 109 coming and going.
However, the trade off is do you want to spend time on the bus or on the bus stop bench.
I'd rather bring a book to the bus stop and sit in the open air than be in the start, stop, change buses mode of the other routes to save in the end maybe 10 minutes. And if you are not getting a 24 hour pass, then one bus is cheaper, just $2 for youngsters who don't have a senior ID, $1 for those of us who have matured. Probably you are going to buy that 5 day bus pass downtown, so it is good to get to Walgreen's as cheaply as possible, paying one way only once.

Whatever you do, don't take the 109 that heads in the wrong direction and go to the South Strip Transfer Terminal. Be certain any 109 is heading North to downtown.
And don't take the 107 from the BTC because someone tells you it ends up close to the El Cortez. You want to be dropped off close to the Fremont Experience even if that is a bit longer walk to the El Cortez, and not up near the Western Casino with your luggage.
A good part of planning bus adventures is knowing where you are going to be dropped off and what its like in that vicinity.

The WAX is faster, uncrowded and uncomplicated. WAX on at the airport. WAX off right there at Walgreen's.

And 4th and Fremont is probably what you want unless you are staying at Main Street Station or the new Plaza and you opt for 108 or 109 to the BTC. Then you might like being dropped closer to those casinos and the drop off is a safe one.

These are the routes you can take from BTC to downtown:

All these take you onto Main Street (near Main Street Station or Plaza)
Route 106 northbound
Route 207 East
Route 208 West
Route 214

*********************************************************
To get near Walgreen's on Fremont:
Route 215 (drops you off at 4th and Fremont)
Route 113 or the MAX (4th and Fremont)
WAX/Centennial Express northbound (4th and Fremont)
Route 402 (4th and Fremont)

Here are the two I would skip with luggage:
Route 107 (LVB and Carson)
Route 208 East (LVB and Carson)




PDog adds:
"There's a ton of routes to get you downtown from the BTC. Don't limit yourself to one or two routes. Just because the terminal isn't as convenient as it once was doesn't mean that the rest of downtown is inaccessible.



From downtown to the BTC, just walk over to LVB and Fremont and catch the Deuce, walk to Casino Center by the Binions for the SDX, WAX and Centennial Express, wait on Main Street by the old rail car next to MSS and catch the 207 West, 106A/B south, Route 214 and Route 208 East."


*******************************************************
Deciding to bus or not - reflections


Time is certainly a factor for most folks. It is not for me because I go for 15 or more days at a time. I also wake up so damned early. It is an old age disease.
So, the bus ride fills time when it really feels too early to gamble.
I do agree that the time argument may be changing, however. If I catch the WAX right, I will certainly beat the paid shuttle to the Orleans this next trip.
And folks reading this who have only some horridly crowded experience on the Deuce with which to judge bus travel, might want to reassess. I avoid the Deuce whenever possible.

I also enjoy the experience. Often I engage someone who has an interesting story and that is one of the reasons I go to Vegas. I like to be in a community of strangers and hear their stories and get information.
In a sense the bus is just like this board.
Two places in Vegas let me do that, the bus and the 2-4 poker table. When I can't engage, I can watch and overhear. I have met some of the most fascinating folks on the bus.
I also like the tour experience. I was so angry when they started to drape the Deuce in those outside advertisements that made the rider experience more only Vegas noir with everything barely visible and dark. However, even on those buses, when I went to where the routes started, I could often get a front seat and the view of the strip from those front windows is wonderful. Once riding along with me from downtown to Flamingo was an old fellow who knew so much detail on each place that a few of us got a guided tour and heard old stories. He was very entertaining.

However, the is a place where lower class and working folks mingle with the more affluent. Some affluent folks would prefer to be insulated in communities of people who are all like themselves. The fine thing about Vegas is that the choices are there to engage or insulate.

And, of course, I enjoy the savings. Vegas for me is a totally frugal experience. My wife says when asked by concerned nongambling friends if I am addicted to gambling,
"No, he is addicted to coupons."
Frugal Vegas allows me to afford my half of the other trips I take with my wife (we keep separate money) So in April and November of this year, I go to Vegas solo on the dirt cheap. But in July I have a good deal on going with my wife, son and his wife and new grandchild to Atlantis for 6 days. Although as the official babysitters, we have a great deal through his company for both rooms and food, that means getting some room worth $800 for only $200 and paying probably close to a hundred a day for food. If I did Vegas as many high rollers do, I would have to cancel both Vegas trips this year to pay for the Atlantis or go into debt.

Retired I just have more time than money. I prefer to travel often rather than to travel high class and stay home the rest of the time.

And while my wife has a different comfort level, I really am more comfortable around less affluent folks. Everywhere I go I tend to ride a bus. In Costa Rica I could have ridden a tourist bus to the beach, but I chose the Tico bus. $4 over $25 but I had to watch my own luggage and walk a ways to find a place to buy a ticket and do without air conditioning. Also there was only one bathroom break in a small town with a very basic toliet in the back of a bar.
But the Tico bus meant instead of riding alongside some tourist from Iowa who knew nothing of the culture (my trip on tourist bus with my wife), I rode alongside a pretty twenty two year old Tika who by the end of the trip adopted me as her grandfather and introduced me to her family when the bus stopped at the beach. She practiced English and I practiced Spanish. On my next trip, she and her girlfriend drove me all around areas of Costa Rica I had never seen. I sent her some music she had been looking for, music her deceased mother had played when the girl was eleven, and she translated some bolero songs for me (the bus driver played boleros all the way to the beach) That was eight years ago. She is still my Facebook friend.
On my way back I rode from the beach I rode with a young college student who was studying architecture and he explained to me what his dreams were, how he wanted to make Costa Rica more green by changing the design of the way they build houses.

So wherever I go I seek out the bus or subway routes because I find them as entertaining as a show.


**************************************************************
another written approach to this issue-  GOOD BOILERPLATE HERE


Yeah, often before you can WAX on, WAX off, you have to allow time to WANE.
And while the English idiom is generally "WAX and WANE," the bus reality is generally more like, "WANE and WAX."

However, there is the alternative of the 108 or 109 and then something else to get you from the BTC, like 113(or see below for more choices.)
It is tempting when you see that 108 or the 109 coming and going.
However, the trade off is do you want to spend time on the bus or on the bus stop bench.
Most of the time I'd rather bring a book to the bus stop and sit in the open air than be in the start, stop, change buses mode of the other routes to save in the end maybe 10 minutes. And if you are not getting a 24 hour pass, then one bus is cheaper, just $2 for youngsters who don't have a senior ID, $1 for those of us who have matured. Probably you are going to buy that 5 day bus pass downtown, so it is good to get to Walgreen's as cheaply as possible, paying one way only once.

I'd like others to do the time math. I am estimating that the most we save in time alone by using the WAX rather than 108/109 is 20 minutes. So I guess if you arrived at the zero stop and the WAX is not due for 40 minutes but the 108 is there, we save 20 minutes. My figures give me 10 minutes to change buses at the BTC and get rolling for the last 5 minutes of the journey.

Whatever you do, don't take the 109 that heads in the wrong direction and go to the South Strip Transfer Terminal. Be certain any 109 is heading North to downtown.
And don't take the 107 from the BTC because someone tells you it ends up close to the El Cortez. You want to be dropped off close to the Fremont Experience even if that is a bit longer walk to the El Cortez, and not up near the Western Casino with your luggage.
A good part of planning bus adventures is knowing where you are going to be dropped off and what its like in that vicinity.

The WAX is faster, uncrowded and uncomplicated. WAX on at the airport. WAX off right there at Walgreen's.

And 4th and Fremont is probably what you want unless you are staying at Main Street Station or the new Plaza and you opt for 108 or 109 to the BTC. Then you might like being dropped closer to those casinos; the drop off is a safe one and you save the seven minute luggage roll down Fremont from Walgreen's.

These are the routes you can take from BTC to downtown:

All these take you onto Main Street (near Main Street Station or Plaza)
Route 106 northbound
Route 207 East
Route 208 West
Route 214

*********************************************************
To get near Walgreen's on Fremont:
Route 215 (drops you off at 4th and Fremont)
Route 113 or the MAX (4th and Fremont)
WAX/Centennial Express northbound (4th and Fremont)
Route 402 (4th and Fremont)

Here are the two I would skip with luggage:
Route 107 (LVB and Carson)
Route 208 East (LVB and Carson)

MOST CURRENT LINKS 2011

I am not giving up completely, but the new changes in Vegas busing make older posts on this blog very dated.  At best it might give a traveler an idea of how to use the bus, but s/he would have to ask if such a ride could still be possible.

At the same time, there are some patterns that seem to be emerging since November of last year, especially around the WAX, and since information is so scattered, here are some board discussions of bus information that might yield some sense of what is currently possible.

Here is the schedule for the WAX:
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/route/westcliff/westcliff(11-07-10).pdf

Here are some threads that seem to add information to the new routes.

added Feb. 24, 2011 = Latest on WAX.  You can see I am all questions.
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62226

http://blonde4ever.yuku.com/topic/18059/Re-WAX-bus-Westcliffe-Airport-Express-now-running?page=-1

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60609

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61140

This post includes the only reference to luggage on the Deuce or Goldline
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60108&highlight=bus
I also have a friend who goes with a small traveling bag.  I have too much luggage to make this practical, but I can get my luggage on any other bus and expect to be able to take it on the new Downtown Express even if I board at Tropicana and LN Blvd.

Added March 2011

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63374

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=492055#post492055



Another route that looks like it would allow access to the strip with luggage is the  Centenial Express which has one stop near the North strip on Spring Mountain or Sands road and also one that does not look too far from Flamingo on Howard Hughes Avenue.  However, I don't yet know the parking.
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/route/centennial/centennial(11-07-10).pdf

Posted on one board and worth saving

on buying a pass




Yes, if you buy a strip and downtown 24 hour pass, it is good on any bus in the system whether you buy it from the Deuce driver or the SDX machine or in some cases from a Deuce machine.  Just don't try to use a senior ID in a Deuce machine that only takes credit cards.

Here is what happened to me on my first attempt to use the SDX (then ACE) bak in May of 2010.

One day I was headed for M casino, using the Deuce and then the free shuttle from theFashion Show Mall.

I should have started in front of Paris and used the ACE, but I walked North and ended at a Deuce stop North of Flamingo.

There was a machine there, but it was a Deuce machine. I put my senior ID in the slot. It did not read it, but printed up these instructions:

"Push your card all the way in."

So I did.

That was a mistake. The Deuce machines are only for credit cards. They don't bring up senior reduced rates. My card was stuck.

After a while a bus came and I told the driver. It took a while for her to call, but finally she said it would be three hours before they came to open the machine and even then I could not get my ID back until I went downtown.

Amazing. My photo is on the card.

Since I was going downtown the next day to stay, I just cancelled all plans for the M and went to the Venetian to play poker and lose $475.

It just was not my day.

The next day I went to the Downtown DTC. I expected a hassle, but they had my card right there in a box full of other cards which had been lost as well, perhaps many of them in the Deuce machines.

Well, a good lesson.

 **********************************************************

Use the SDX whenever possible.  It does not run all hours, but when it does run, reports are that it is much less crowded and much faster.  Check to see it will drop you close enough to where you are going.  During the hours it does not run, the Deuce is also not so crowded.

Now here is the real question.

Not all 24 hour passes are the same.

Those bought on the Deuce or in a machine are good everywhere.

What happens if you buy a residential 24 hour pass? 

If you board first on a residential bus, i.e. one of those that is not the Deuce or the SDX, the 24 hour pass bought from the driver is less money.

  

If you then want to use that pass to ride  the Deuce, technically that residential pass is only good if you have a local ID.

But there are no upcharges in the system.

The RTC has told me the glitch in the system is that they don't check for local ID and actually that 24 hour residential pass is good on the Deuce and 

SDX as well.

Catman from the Vegasmessage board reported this:

Dewey...The first 3 times on residential buses I asked the driver your questions. First said the 24 hour $5 ticket is good for strip buses whether you live in LV or not(no upcharge). Second said the $5 ticket is only good for residential routes period. Third said the $5 ticket would require a $2 upcharge no matter where you live.

So, I stopped asking. Seems like the answer to your question does not exist.

Where it will matter is for folks who buy a 24 hour pass when boarding the WAX, the new express from the airport.  

The WAX, even though it is an express and has a three letter knickname is in the residential system.  

So seniors with an ID can get a 24 hour pass when leaving the airport for downtown for just $2.  This will turn out to be quite a deal if when they board the WAX, the 24 hour pass is good on all buses.

Also, once folks understand that this is not just an airport to downtown bus, but an airport to the strip at Tropicana or from the strip at Tropicana to downtown, and that unlike the Deuce or SDX this bus will easily accept luggage, more and more tourists may be buying 24 hour passes on that bus. There has not been a way to stay on the strip and then move to downtown with any amount of luggage on just one bus.  And the new downtown bus terminal, a full five blocks from the Fremont Experience, means that often three residential buses are necessary to make the journey from the strip to downtown with luggage.  

Now this one bus will be fast and drop right near the Experience.

Interesting too is that by the time one gets to buying 30 day passes, the distinction between the routes just goes away.  $65 full fare or $30 reduced senior fare gets a month pass period for all buses.  But you can't get these from the vending machines.  Still, a senior contemplating staying downtown and then going by cab to some place near the strip can basically get a 30 day bus pass for the cost of one cab ride.

So far, little of this is from personal experience.  I am going to have some experience with the newly scheduled buses in May and I'll report my findings.  This will include going from the airport to the Orleans by bus.  

This was difficult before last November, but now should be fairly simple.  I board the WAX, get off at Tropicana and then board the 201 and I'm there.  The ride is very short.  It I hit the schedule wrong for the WAX I might have a bit of a wait there.  We'll see.

I may also try to board the SDX with huge luggage.  

I have to get from the Rio to downtown and will try doing it with the 202 to the strip, then the SDX to Tropicana, and the WAX to downtown.  What I figure is that I can get on the SDX, but I might be asked to leave.  However, it is only one stop to Tropicana, so if they put me off, I've made my connection and I won't have to wait with luggage along those residential routes.  Here too I will be using my $2-  24 hour residential pass for the entire trip from the Rio to downtown.

That is a factor too.  

It feels safer to wait for a bus with luggage near the strip than on Swenson and Flamingo. I am pretty vulnerable with a suitcase.  I have never had a problem doing it, but I can see my potential as a guy to shake down. 

on a 30 day pass

Looking at this page on the RTC website, it may now be possible to buy the 30 day from a machine.  I have no anecdotal information on this.  So I don't know.  For a while locals were really mad because the places to buy the 30 day passes were very restricted.  Now they have opened up again I guess from the way I read this chart.

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/fare_passes.cfm

For us, however, if they are not in the vending machines, the easiest place is probably the BTC.  

Again, this is not something I have yet done.

I suspended the bus blog because after November I did not feel very confident with my information and knew that things were going to change anyway as the RTC works out the glitches in the system so I could post something and have it very different the next day, not know, and so send folks in the wrong direction.

I ride less and less.  

Sleeping issues make it hard for me to be away from a nap, so I don't go off for a day of bus riding often.

Live poker means that what is good gambling for me has flip flopped.  Before I wanted the good VP downtown;  now I want to be near the strip for the soft tourist games.

But this next trip I will go from casino to casino on the bus again because I caught such a good deal at Sam's Town for a week, that I patched that in between free room double nights at the Orleans and at the Rio.

I generally finish with a couple days of poker with the fellows at the El Cortez and use their free airport shuttle.  Then I can add a bag of luggage with souvenirs if I want and not be struggling with more than one suitcase on buses.

on splitting a vegas trip between downtown and the strip

All that being said, I can envision, however, especially if hotel rates go up again, a trip that starts at a downtown hotel  and then goes to a strip hotel.  For a dollar one way ticket on the WAX using my senior pass I could go to the BTC and buy a 30 day pass and then reboard any of a half dozen buses and get right near Freemont.  Then I'd be set.  I could hop around town for my entire trip on that pass, head out to offstrip casinos, or restaurants, or places like Spring Preserve or the Pinball Hall of Fame.

Then if I wanted a few days, say at the Orleans or MGM, I could use the pass to get my luggage from downtown fairly easily on the WAX.  If I don't mind a walk from Tropicana, I could get to quite a few places on the strip after being dropped at Tropicana.  I often now walk Arville from the Orleans to the Gold Coast rolling my luggage.  I guess I could roll it from the Tropicana to Flamingo without much fuss.  Just skip the treadmill that day.  Certainly I'd feel totally safe doing that.  It would have to be good weather.  I would not plan to do it in August.

on using two 24 hour passes for three nights of gambling.

However, right now the 24 hour passes are more than enough for me.  Often two of them will stretch into three days of travel if I get a late start out the first day and have one destination with walking for the second day.

The trick is to have the first ticket expire after boarding and not buy the other until hours later.  

This works for me if I decide to stay downtown but go to the strip three nights to play poker somewhere

Example,

From any downtown casino to the strip.

day one- out at 4pm and back at 2am

day two- out at 3:50 pm on the first ticket and boarding to get back on a new ticket at 2am

day three- out at anytime and boarding to come back downtown before 2am.

Getting bus from Terminal 2

For folks coming in from abroad at Terminal 2

All RTC buses serving the airport (WAX, 108 and 109) and most hotel shuttles pick up passengers on "Zero Level" below Terminal 1.

Teminal 2 Shuttle
Free shuttle bus service between Terminal 1 and 2 is available during all hours of flight operations at Terminal 2. The bus stop at Terminal 1 is located on the Zero Level below baggage claim. At Terminal 2, the bus stop is located directly in front of the ticketing lobby entrance.

Service is provided approximately every 12-15 minutes.

INFORMATION IN POSTS OLDER THAN THIS ONE IS DATED

This recession has been a great gift to me because it has stopped the Vegas implosions so that places are as I remember them and what I have discovered is often in the same place again next trip.  And I expect that will be the case for a few more years yet as Vegas licks its recession wounds and perhaps even decides that things don't always need to be thrown away, but can be renovated.

However, there was in 2010 an implosion of the buses in Vegas and new creation as well as renovation.

I suspended my bus blog as it is just too much work to sort out the old from the new, so most of the information on routes there is just totally out of date.  And I don't actually know anything anyway.

I am interested in the newer routes that allow luggage and touch somewhere near the strip.  The Westcliff and the Centennial Express both do that in different parts of the strip.  If I am going to stay downtown, I need to find a fast and easy way to get there from someplace I am staying on the strip and these two routes seem promising.  I like the Gold Line Downtown Express or whatever it is called now.

However, what has happened to me is my gambling has morphed into very little VP and lots of live poker and that flips my focus on staying downtown versus staying near the strip where the softer live poker is dealt.   Instead of paytables for machine selection, I now have to study players and determine table selection.

Also, some of the best live poker is done after midnight.  Well, I go to bed at home usually before 8PM.  So that means I need my room near the game, so I can get a good long nap, or actually go to bed at 5PM and get up at midnight or later.  I don't want to be riding buses to get to a game at 1am.

So I just don't have or need that much bus experience myself and so have less first hand information to share.  I must depend on just what I read, which is very little just now as all this is new to almost everyone.

Then too it is one thing to figure a route based on the schedule and marked stops and another to actually feel comfortable using that route with luggage.  l'm sure that grabbing the WAX at Tropicana after a stay at the Oleans (using the 201 to get to the WAX stop) will be one route I'll try and that would be totally comfortable, but I don't know about trying for the Centennial stop up near Flamingo say after a stay at the Koval Super 8.  How far will that luggage roll seem and what will it seem like to make such a walk.

The last two trips I have rolled my luggage from the Orleans to the 202 or to Gold Coast and found that a half hour roll in good weather down Arville feels like safe, good exercise.

If I thought that things would stay the way there are now, I'd start trying to gather than information, but I got burned on the last change when prior to my trip I had learned the new route of the Deuce to Palace Station and that loop down LV Blvd. and learned that it did not go downtown and I got blindsided when they switched that all up just before I arrived.

So I don't go until May.  By then there could be lots of changes.

I suspect all of us are going to try to find ways to not switch buses at the new BTC just to avoid that inconvenience, and very few of us are walking from there to downtown because the walk is not safe. However, as I read the schedule on the WAX, wither way it stops for less than a minute at the BTC and delivers us at Casino Center or Tropicana or the Airport with no switching of buses, and so provides a good way to stay some time on the strip and sometime downtown and a way to easily get to the airport from Tropicana near LV Blvd. with luggage.

Future of the buses

This article is very informative.  It overviews the vision of the bus improvements in Vegas as well as the connection between stimulus money and the project.  Too often the benefits of stimulus money have not been communicated to the public.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/11/new-express-bus-route-service-airport/

Permission to copy parts of this blog

If you  would like to cut and paste anything from this blog, just drop me a note and ask.  You can do it by adding a comment.  I'm easy, so don't hesitate.  

airport to downtown shuttle to begin in December

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/route/westcliff/westcliff(11-07-10).pdf

In this thread is great information on busing from the BTC to downtown.

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60609&page=2

This blog is dedicated to bus issues.  For full Vegas trip reports see:
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/

navigational note:   I know this blog format is hard to navigate because it must be organized by date rather than topic.  Ignore posting dates like the one in orange above;  they are not accurate but used only for organization
THE EASIEST WAY TO NAVIGATE ALL THREADS IS TO CLICK THE BLACK ARROWS IN THE ACHIVES ON  THE RIGHT AND SKIM THROUGH THE POSTS BY TITLE.  THEY ARE ARTIFICIALLY GROUPED BY MONTH AND YEAR, BUT THAT MEANS NOTHING.   
Information on particular routes is collected in February 2010 posts.  Each post is titled by the bus route.  So if you want to know what I know about the 201, go to the Archives for February 2010 and find the post with that route in the title.  Otherwise skim reading is the way to read.

Hi and welcome: 

I am overjoyed to collect your bus stories, especially now that the routes have changed:

Where did you catch the bus?  Where did you get dropped? Why did you go?  What interesting destinations might some other bus rider learn about from you? What shopping did you access?  What restaurants?  What did you think of your experience?  Do you have an itinerary with many possibilities on a route you have ridden?  Where did you feel safe?  Where unsafe?  
Important:  If you send me your story, please add written clear permission to cut and paste it into this blog if you agree to offer that permission. I will also edit for grammar and spelling if you request it.

we are not confused alone

I am in Vegas just now and happy to have put off trying to determine how the buses work.
I have asked this question of bus drivers and other folks, but I have not gone to the new BTC yet and asked or tried to call.
Here is my question:

So as a senior I can buy a 24 hour pass on the 202 for $2.
There is no upcharge.
Will the Deuce accept this pass?

No one seems to know.

At the end of my trip I'll be downtown with a 24 hour pass and I'll just take a Deuce ride to find out.
However, I don't want to spend a trip I planned particulary to not depend on buses during the transition asking questions and finding out information which in a month will most certainly change.
One board poster here thought the BTC had too much work to be done yet to be ready.

I do know that there is a continued erosion of the buses on Flamingo so that soon they will not go as far and will not go as often, coming at the times I need them most only every hour.  I think I will satisfy this issue on my trip next May by printing a 202 schedule of just the times that bus will be at Las Vegas Boulevard and another when it will be at Super 8.

Bonneville Terminal is finished

October 25 is the opening of the terminal
November 7 is when the buses run from there on new schedules.
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/servicechange/index.cfm

The news in route changes is not all good news.  Coming and going from the strip to downtown in the early morning will not be possible on the ACE  alias  GOLD LINE  alias strip and Downtown express (SDX) but only on the Deuce from 12:30 am to 9 am.

Here are my current concerns;  however, we really need to wait a bit until the dust settles.  The last schedule changes were rechanged after about a month.

*** Staying downtown I may have to take a bus to take a bus because the BTC is an unsafe walk. I'll lose the flexibility of many routes easily reached.
*** The pullback on the SDX bus trips will mean I am crowded again on the Deuce when I am heading back to my hotel, perhaps a bit drunk, certainly tired, in the early morning hours.
*** The reduction of runs by the 202 Flamingo in early morning hours will mean I stop counting Terribles and Tuscany as possible places to stay, let alone the Eastside Cannery where early morning buses will no longer go. 
Even early morning returns from Gold Coast/Palms to Ellis/Super 8 Koval will be much less convenient when Flamingo buses run every hour.
Tropicana 201 maintains 20 minute runs. I am sorry Flamingo did not get the same consideration.

Vegas driving evaluated by those who do it often

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58437

One of the reasons to use the bus in Vegas is that even if you are rested, sober, well oriented, safe, and defensive...........  there are many others who are not.

For peace of mind whenever you can, try other transportation.

Why gamble with your health/life?

No No not the ACE or Goldline; now it is SDX

edited on October 23, 2010

Strip Downtown Express
This bus will pick up at the same stop as the Deuce.  So don't be waitin' at Neonopolis and expect the ACE because it won't be comin', not even if you call it the Goldline.

However, it will not run certain hours of the early morning 12:30 am to 9 am.  Then the only way to go downtown to strip is on the Deuce.

5 Day Pass reported alive and well

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=437978&posted=1#post437978

The woman I talked to at RTC said it was a "glitz that they don't really advertise" but anyone with a five day pass could ride the Gold Line and the Deuce without a local ID being checked.
This was further confirmed in an email response to a poster at the end of the above link.  All buses can be ridden with the 5 day pass.

tnvegas gives a Mixed Review of the ACE experience

tnVegas from Blonde's Board experienced his first Vegas bus recently (August 2010) and wrote this review:

They have changed the price of the 3 day bus pass to $20 which doesn't represent much of a savings, and we only needed it for two days, so we choose a daily pass for $7 each day.
The first day we caught the Deuce downtown bus stopped at a few places before we got town town - very good trip.
On the way back we caught the ACE back - avoiding most of the stops, but it was a very crowded bus and we never got a seat. Also, it was weird that there was no place to swipe our bus pass on this bus. There was a guard who looked for our pass, but it seemed like we could have used a week old pass since we just had to show him we had a pass in our hands. Later that night we took the deuce North and that was a nightmare - very slow and very crowded.
Day two on the bus we opted for the ACE bus again - first trip downtown was ok, but on the way back it was crowded again. We stopped at the back of the Sahara and went there for a bit.
On the way back we thought we would take the ACE bus again,  but we had to wait forever to catch it, and then the first bus was packed and we could not get on. The 2nd bus was crowded too, but at least we got on. However, we had to stand.
We were going to the Luxor. The stop for the Luxor was somewhat far from the Luxor entrance, but I guess we should not be too picky. It also took forever to travel on the strip due to traffic.  We wanted to go from the restaurant off of Tropicana but bascially gave up since we had to be back at the Luxor for a show and felt we didn't have enough time to do that and still make the bus.
So we felt the bus is a cheap alternative - you just can't be in a hurry to go anywhere since you never knew how long any single trip would take on the strip. I do think any route off strip would have been a lot better. We ended up not taking any of those.
We longed for a monorail system that actually was more convenient to use and would allow us to avoid the traffic on Las Vegas Blvd - like just above the Blvd,  not a couple blocks behind it. We are going to NY next month and know the subway system there is a lot better system than this.

NEW TRANSIT CENTER

 

NEW TRANSIT CENTER (coming sometime this Fall)


What will all that mean?

No more easy walks to the DTC.


The new transit center is to be located on Casino Center and Bonneville:
To get a sense of what it will look like, click on the link below
and scroll down to the Bonneville Transit Center.
That is the replacement for the DTC.

http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/terminals.cfm#ccitt


 

For other routes at the new Bonneville Station folks can catch the ACE from downtown and transfer at the station to other buses.  Coming into the station late at night from the lesser used bus routes, folks can make one transfer to get to downtown casinos.
However, this will increase the costs because the ACE /DEUCE  requires either a all access pass or an upcharge.
As the routes develop, we'll have to see if there is a way to access the new Bonneville DTC from downtown on a reduced fare general market pass rather than the more expensive all access pass.  This means a $5 savings a day for seniors who will do all their traveling that day on non strip routes because in the new fare schedule there is no reduced fare for 24 hours of the strip routes, only for 3 days or strip routes.

********

Because the bus company will actually own the new Bonneville Transit Center, it has been designed with sustainability in mind.  We can expect it will serve us for many years and that it can more easily be adapted to rider needs as they emerge.

I don't have answers to all the details.  We will have to wait and see how things develop.
The Bonneville Station will be very comfortable itself and state of the art.
One thing I learned is that those with bicycles will not only be able to store them at the station, but will be able to shower before heading out to work on the ACE and will be able to arrange to service and repair bikes right there at the bus station.   
Multi-modal is the word of the day.

RATES/ HOW AND WHERE TO BUY BUS PASSES
updated June 2010

WHAT BUS PASSES COST:
Fares and the use of vending machines is explained in various links at this site:
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/fare_passes.cfm

A NOTE ON 24 HOUR PASSES:

There are two 24 hour passes. One is the All Access pass. One is the General Market   pass. The General Market is cheaper, meant for people who are not going to ride the Deuce or ACE.
the General Market 24 hour pass is especially cheaper for ID carrying seniors.  $2 versus $7 per day when a senior chooses an all access pass.  Hopefully, soon there will be a 24 hour reduced fare for seniors  purchasing the All Access 24 hour pass.  Presently the 3 day senior option is the best bargain.

BUYING FROM TICKET VENDING MACHINES


For the ACE you will have to buy tickets ahead.  No ACE drivers will sell tickets, and the RCT is hoping folks will buy Deuce tickets as well from the vending machines. Upcharge fees also need to be bought from the vending machines.

Locations listed on the RCT website:



Ticket vending machines sell and validate full-fare, reduced-fare, one-day and one-ride passes and soon will both sell and validate 3 day passes as well.

**************************************************************
*************************************************************

Interesting Ace-Deuce Review

http://living-las-vegas.com/2010/05/life-in-paradise-acey-deucey/

Car rental stories- a reason to ride the bus

http://www.elliott.org/blog/how-to-outfox-your-car-rental-company-on-a-bogus-damage-claim/

Reported from one user is that Dollar in Denver attempted to collect $1500 in damages a few weeks after the rental was returned.  Dollar abandoned this claim when the insurance company became involved.

Why the bus and not a car rental

  CAR RENTAL WORRIES THAT THE BUS ELIMINATES


Certainly there are people who are bus people and those who are not, but in the next two years the buses are going to change dramatically in Vegas and folks will give them a second look.
Rental cars seem cheap until you take a look at some of the loopholes in insurance (BELOW) or add in what you lose in not drinking free booze.  I figure the value of  my Myer's Rum comes to as much as forty dollars a day.
Being overtired and meeting other out of town overtired, drunk, or crazy kid drivers at three AM just spoils my relaxation.  Half the time I sleep on the way back to my bed.
The other half I have some cool conversation with some stranger and hear the greatest stories.  I think of a bus like this blog only with four wheels and the folks are live.
I am solo so the conversations break up the day.  I so much prefer it to a lonely cab ride home where I have to stay awake to see the driver is not taking me for a ride and since I am solo and a senior, the bus ride for three days is priced at two cab tips.
And even if resolving an accident on a rental goes smoothly there is hassle and anxiety that depletes the joy of Vegas.



 **********************************************************************************
I was leaning in the direction of renting a car for my next trip.  But after hours of researching how insurance works and doesn't, I am not very comfortable renting without the full waivers and that puts the price up pretty high.

Before you dismiss these issues, be sure you read a bit and talk to more than one insurance agent.  My State Farm agent did a 360 degree turn around after telling me for years that I was covered.

And using the Visa may not do it either.

Here is what happens.

You get in an accident.  Your insurance covers you minus your deductable up to the amount you carry on the car you drive at home.  So I drive a 99 Saturn.  Odds are I would still have quite a bit to pay if I totaled a brand new rental expecially after one of those free upgrades that come along.

OR

You get in an accident.  Your insurance does not cover loss of use, but the Visa does.  Read the fine print.  The Visa demands the car rental company send them a log that shows that while the car was out of service, they did not have other rentals.  Guess what?  The Rental Car company just ain't gonna send no log  So who is responsible for the loss of use fees?  Well,    You are.

OR

You have an accident and the car is damaged.  The insurance company decides not to fix it but just to sell it off as salvage.  You are stuck with the difference in the full value of the car and what they get.  Does the insurance company cover that cost?  Probably not.  Ask your agent if you are covered for "loss of value"
So a $35,000 crashed vehicle sold off at $7,000 leaves a lot for you to pay.  And the rental company is conservative about what they will fix and put back out there because if a rental has a damage history, it leaves them open for lawsuits in a future accident.  They like to get rid of the cars and start over.  Especially since someone else pays.

And even if things go smoothly, you are responsible for the damage until you get your insurance company to pay for it.  Any accident may raise your premiums so you pay for it over time for the rest of your life.  And you better not have a drink.  Drinking, speeding, reckless behavior, having your car impounded by police all void insurance policies as does letting someone else drive for a while who not on the rental contract.  I have a family fight every time we rent a car about that one.  it is so easy to get tired and just let the kid drive for a while.

Basically, I am back to deciding that car rental is sort of like playing video poker.  The Royal never comes and never comes and never comes..............and then when you least expect it........there it is.  Only the Royal is a good thing.  The casino pays off.  The accident is a not good.  You pay off.

From what I gather from my son who as a financial adviser and talks to insurance agents every day, the entire issue is being debated around the agents' coffee meets.  My own State Farm Agent is doing some research.  Perhaps she will come up with some definitive angle.  My son recommends getting the waiver.


I also found this site that sells a cheaper policy than the car rental places offer.
This one at $9 a day is nice but not for me as I am a NY resident

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/rental-car-insurance.shtml

Travel guard offers the same type of coverage and seems to have pretty good press.

TRAVEL GUARD

I also found out that Visa does an easier job of negotiating with the car companies than Mastercard.  And American Express may have everything covered.

But all insurance leaves you responsible to have a claim approved and doing the paperwork.  What the rental car places give you is not insurance but a waiver of their right to recover money in case of accident, theft, damage.   That is why they can ask such a huge fee for the waiver.  It is not covered by insurance regulation, so they can ask whatever the market will bear.

And the hassle works against the pleasure of a Vegas trip.  Here is the kind of work and worry just a damaged mirror can entail.

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=386818#post386818



I know this adds anxiety to those of you who rent every time you go to Vegas and are proud of the $9 a day you manage with codes and specials.  I am one of you.  Frugal to the bone.
Just don't dismiss the issue of liability because someone once told you that you were covered even if that someone was your agent.
I asked my agent if State Farm would send me something in writing, and she just laughed.  Take the time to review the issues and make the agent focus on Nevada which has different rental laws and sketch out the loss of use and the selling off the car as salvage senarios for the agent.  Some states do not allow the company to charge loss of use, for example.

Here are some articles to read around this issue.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8625501?source=rss

This seemed the most comprehensive article.  Don't neglect the comment section as that has more information.

http://www.bnm.com/insgas.htm

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/some-second-thoughts-on-car-rental-insurance.html?id=2544570

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/more-rental-car-credit-card-grief.html?id=2451464

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/gaps-in-credit-card-coverage-for-rental-cars-part-ii.html?id=2443878

Here is an older article, but I like the questions it raises:

http://money.cnn.com/2000/08/02/banking/q_bankrate/

http://automotive-insurance.suite101.com/article.cfm/rental_car_insurance

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=295325#post295325

Happy motoring.

Fares change on August 2, 2010

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/fare_adjustment.cfm

it is good news for seniors buying reduced all access passes.  We will be able to ride 24 hours unlimited, including ACE and DEUCE for just $3.50.  With the 3 day pass just fifty cents less, and elimination of the 5 day pass, this will be probably the best choice for seniors.

This is the first time that locals are given an advantage over tourists.  Locals who purchase a 24 hour General Market pass will be able to ride the ACE and DEUCE for no extra money.

I guess tourists must either start with an all access pass or rebuy an ACE ticket of some sort if moving from local routes to the strip routes.

Proposed fare adjustment as it affects seniors

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/fare_adjustment.cfm

If the new fare adjustment goes into effect with the reduced 24 hour all access for seniors, that will give seniors a reduced fare on the 24 hour all access pass.  Currently we pay full price.
That will mean the strategy of stretching two days of 24 hour passes into the needs of 3 days of travel will be possible again.  The 3 day pass over three days would save just 50, so buying as needed makes sense to me because I may or may not use the pass everyday and even with 3 days of bus travel, often two passes cover my needs if Day one starts in late afternoon.

Day one -  Buy 24 hour all access at 5 PM to go from downtown to strip or vice versa
Day two -  Use the pass before 5PM for same trip the next day.  On the return visit at 3 am in the morning of the Day three, buy the second 24 hour pass.
Day three- The second 24 hour pass will still be good to go out and come back as long as I return before 3 am on Day four.

The key is to make the poker paying time away from the hotel not reduce the value of the bus pass.  I have no chance of doing that with the 3 day pass as the time keeps ticking. Using up one pass and then having a break of hours before buying the next gives me more time for the money.

And while I would not change my plans to save $3.50, it is a good bet that more than one time out of seven two passes will meet my desired times over three days, or that I will go one day and skip the next.  So the bet on 24 hour reduced fare is the better bet with the added advantage that there is no chance of accidentally losing a three day pass on the first day.

SOUTH STRIP TRANSFER TERMINAL

I just found out that there are no longer any people at the South Strip Transfer Terminal.  Buses still stop there on their routes, there is still free park and ride, but only security works there.  There are ticket vending machines, but if you wanted to sign up and be photographed for a senior card, or ask a live question,  you would have to go to the Downtown Transportation Center DTC which is fully staffed.

Two new ACE lines approved

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/11/rtc-approves-contracts-two-more-ace-rapid-bus-line/

April 2010

The first thing I learned was that the Deuce route is back in operation as it was before the ACE.  I guess there was a good bit of complaint.  Also the ACE has plenty of riders so perhaps having both buses go downtown is not an issue.

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/route/deuce/Deuce%283-28-10%29.pdf

It does mean the Palace Station was cut out of the route.  Too bad.  That Sahara bus takes a while to get up to the Palace Station.

I planned a trip without much reliance on buses because of all the changes, but here is what I did experience.

I liked the ACE.  I rode it on Saturday night to downtown and it was fast and easy and there were plenty of buses coming every few minutes.  The seats in the back were very comfortable and jumping on that back door a quick and easy way to grab the bus.
The machines to buy the tickets proved easy as well once I learned that the machines to buy Deuce tickets are not meant to take senior citizen passes.  I put mine in the machine and it was stuck.  I had to retrieve it the following day. 
Once I used the correct machine I had no trouble, and unlike the old machines in the DTC these are very easy to read, bright lettering.  I also like the video schedule posted right along side the ticket machine.
I was only checked for my ticket once.  I know some on the bus did not have them.  Some watched to see if the checkers were getting on the bus and exited in the rear so as to avoid them.  One local said it was not usual to be checked on a busy Saturday night.
I also overheard that most folks who have an incorrect ticket are still given one chance to go to their destination.  It is a time of learning.
I liked not always having to show a ticket, but I want to find a way to carry the ticket in an easy place so when I am checked I do not have to fish for my wallet.  I think I'll buy a small protective sleeve and keep it in my shirt pocket.
The regularity of the bus made it easy to hop on and off.  I got off at Sahara just to play a matchplay and did not have a long wait for my ride to downtown.
I enjoyed watching this vehicle turn a corner.  It has a huge circular swivel  just before the back section.
I can also see that some luggage would be fine to carry.  I carry a huge suitcase and that would be too much, but many people had shopping bags from their shopping so luggage that fit in a shopping bag would easily be transported  Light packers can use the ACE to hop from strip hotel to strip hotel.
I rode the Flamingo to Swenson and then the 108 to downtown with my luggage and had not trouble.  I stayed at Flamingo and then stayed downtown.  It was an easy journey.  I got off at the DTC.  I don't think the 108 drops near the Walgreen's anymore.  By the time I return to Vegas the new DTC will most likely be open and everything will be different again. 

seems polular so far

http://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/apr/08/ace-rapid-transit-bus-service-exceeds-ridership-ex/

Some recent news reports on the new ACE

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/26/ace-bus-youll-feel-bit-youre-light-rail-and-s-desi/

http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/2010/mar/26/3744/ 

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/22918500/detail.html

A Great First Day Review of the ACE

Vegas Rex rode the first day of operation, March 28, 2010

http://www.casinoguide.com/blogs/transportation/introducing-the-ace/

Great review as is always true of Vegas Rex


You can tell what he likes and why and what he doesn't like as well.
I have decided to bring a necklace that will hold my ticket so as not to have all the shuffling about.
I noted that some of the seats face backwards.  In those cases even light luggage would be an issue as it could not fit between me and a seatback.

I'd like to see a post on which stops are safe and which are not.  I'll have to start a thread.
And perhaps I'll comment on Vegas Rex site.
He did mention that the Stratosphere busstop is really not safe.


I love it that the windows are not wrapped.  We will be able to see.
I had not really dawned on me that we  could board at multiple doors because we just need to carry our passes and show them to the conductor.
Rex worried that the conductor's passing to check tickets would be a hassle during crowded times.  I have been on the Deuce when we did not have to show our tickets but just get on.  I can imagine that during any really crowded times they won't check the tickets.

I am also excited to hear how central the stop is for downtown.  Casino Center Blvd and Freemont gives us a fine location from which to head to the strip from downtown.

PDOG'S BUS DETAILS- words from a local

Pdog's post on this thread

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=401444&posted=1#post401444


gives some of the most detailed information I have read.

One correction is that the ACE upcharge $2 fee will no give a 24 hour benefit but just a two hour benefit..