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was a scant 19,000 a day, down 38% from the 31,000 riders who had used it dur-
ing those same months in 2005. During the busier spring months of 2006, only
21,000 per day were riding it.
Why so unpopular? Ah, there's a litany of reasons. I'd love to meet the genius
who decided to stick the monorail stations in the most difficult to find area of
each casino, from obscure basement malls (at Bally's) to spots a good 20-minute
walk from the Strip (at MGM Grand). They also don't run as frequently as they
should. While the monorail folks claim that the cars depart every 5 to 6 minutes
during peak periods and every 5 to 12 minutes otherwise, I've ridden it a number
of times and have only once had less than a 10-minute wait on the platform. Once
you're on, the unrelenting commercial announcements, disguised as a “tour” of
Vegas, are beyond annoying, especially if you're hearing the monologue for the
third or fourth time. Finally, rides and passes are just too darn expensive.
On the bright side—and there always must be a bright side, right?—once
you're aboard, there are no traffic jams to deal with, and you know that the ride
itself will be relatively speedy. It takes a quick 18 minutes to get from one end to
the next (not counting waiting-on-the-platform time). And if you use it enough
to buy a daily pass it can be cost effective, if—and this is a BIG if—you ride the
thing enough times for it to pay off.
THE DEUCE, CAT & MAX
Cute names, huh? Sounds kind of like a gang you'd want to play poker with.
Marketing savvy even comes into play when naming the public bus systems in
Vegas. But just because they're named smart doesn't mean their prices are upscale.
Using these buses is a penny pincher's way to get around town. What they lack in
speed and efficiency, they make up for in savings.
The Deuce (www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/deuce) are double-decker buses—get
it?—that traverse the most popular swath of Las Vegas Boulevard South from the
Downtown area (where the bus briefly veers off Las Vegas Blvd. to stop at the
Fremont Street Experience), all the way to the Mandalay Bay, and then several
blocks past that, south to a transfer terminal between Sunset Road and Hidden
Hills Road. Operating 24 hours a day, it's on its most frequent rotations (leaving
every 6 min.) between 11am and 11:30pm, but even at 5am in the morning, you
probably won't wait more than 15 or 20 minutes for the Deuce. Each bus has 97
seats, but it's sometimes standing room only, especially for those hoping to take
in the Strip from a second-floor perch. All in all, though, it ain't a bad way to get
around.
The Monorail in a Nutshell
Hours: Mon-Thurs 7-2am, Fri-Sat 7-3am
Prices: Single ride $5, two rides $9, 10-ride ticket $35, 1-day pass $15, 3-day
pass $40
Stations: MGM Grand, Bally's, the Flamingo, Harrah's, Convention Center, Hilton
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