I am not an expert. I do like promoting the bus because I think once most folks give themselves permission to use a city bus, it pleases them and because I like to talk about all things frugal.
However, I think I can answer your question with, with the caveat that all things bus like change periodically, and this year things are going through great changes again as they did in November of last year.
There are just two categories of bus routes One of those categories include the strip buses, the Deuce and the Strip to Downtown express (SDX). These buses are the ones that you want to use to get you from downtown to the strip and back. The decision will be where on the strip you want to go. The Express has fewer stops but is much faster and less crowded than the Deuce. You want to ride it whenever you can as long as it will drop you where you want to go. It also runs just during certain hours of the day, 9 am to 12:30 am (see the schedule page for details. It was designed to end the congestion on the Deuce so it runs during heavy traffic times and not in the early morning.
Here are all the bus routes.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/route/
Check the routes of the SDX and Deuce and see where they go. The Deuce you can pick up downtown just around the corner of the Fremont Experience. The SDX picks up at a stop near Binions. Those places should be well marked and you can ask people to be certain you are in the right place. The places have changed at times. Note where the SDX stops are located on the strip and write it down or copy the map to have in your pocket.
Neither of these are luggage friendly. Small bags, stuff that fits on your lap is always okay. Larger bags are up to the driver. More seems being allowed on the SDX than on the Deuce.
The SDX is a very different kind of bus. You don't meet the driver. You buy a ticket in a vending machine and get on board and at random these ticket checkers board and come through checking tickets like on many trains. You can even board from the back, but you have to already have your ticket. This speeds up boarding.
My guess is that strip buses are most of what you will travel for your first time; however, from downtown, once you get to the Bonneville Transfer Center (BTC) you have plenty of options. And if you want to go off strip, the bus running down Flamingo 202 and the one running downTropicana 201 are great resources, especially when used in conjunction with the free shuttles that Harrah's runs and the shuttles that the Boyd Casinos run between Bill's, Gold Coast, and the Orleans. Because their free shuttles do not run 24 hours, the buses give you cheap flexibility. These routes are called residential routes because most of the riders are locals.
The WAX that runs from the airport is counterintuitively classified as a residential route.
So here is the dilemma. If you first board a residential bus, than you get residential rates, including on the 24 hour pass. Technically, the bus folks claim that only folks with a local ID get to ride every bus after they buy a residential pass.
If you board the Deuce or SDX, then you get a little higher rate and an all access pass that lets everyone ride anything. Now, actually I have not read of a single person who has been asked for a local ID when using a residential pass of any sort to board Deuce of SDX and the bus company once told me on the phone what the WAX bus driver told me and that is that residential passes will allow even tourists to use the more expensive buses but they want to keep that a secret so they don’t advertise it.
Up until recently it was impossible to buy a 5 day pass without going out to the Bonneville Transit Center. Teh 5 day is not in machines.
Well planned bus riders like Jimbo338 would stop there on the way from the airport as the SDX has a stop across from the center, buy a 5 day or maybe two, and be set for the trip. Now those 5 day passes can be bought at Walgreen’s right there in Downtown, but only the 5 day (and 30 day passes that are just too much for most tourists.)
Now they have decided, I guess, that the 5 day is now an all access pass, officially. Jimbo will tell you that it has been all access in practice and that the 24 hour pass from the WAX driver also works on all buses in practice.
But remember, that is a secret. Or the bus folks are confused. One board member here asked the question three times to three different drivers and go three different answers.
So, here is what I would do if I were you.
I’d buy a one way ticket on the WAX from the driver that will get you and your luggage downtown because you just need to take one ride to do that. There is some issue on whether older routes (108/09)are at sometimes faster because at times the WAX runs just every hour, but I’d stick with the WAX because the math I do suggests that even if you wait the full hour you probably will beat the 108 or 109 if you then take another bus from the BTC to get to Fremont.
Some actually walk the five blocks to Fremont from the BTC. I don’t. The neighborhood seems sketchy at times and I’m vulnerable with a large suitcase held by an old weak guy.
All the buses from the airport are residential and since it is debated whether that pass would be good enough for the Deuce/SDX, it is technically correct and safest to just go one way from the airport, get downtown, the then buy all access passes, either a 5 day from the Walgreen’s or a 3 day from the vending machine or a 24 hour from the vending machine.
However, Jimbo's strategy is to get to the BTC on his way into Vegas as cheaply as possible because he knows he can buy any pass there as well, board a bus to downtown, and get any information or new schedules so his information is current. That makes good sense as well. Then you don't have to decide between Walgreen's and vending machines at the bus stop.
On the other hand, to then get to your hotel you are going to have to use a pass you bought. I won't leave downtown until a couple of days after I arrive, so Walgreen's works great for me. I don't want a 5 day pass that I won't use for the first three days.
Here are the prices. They might change but generally we get plenty of warning. They will change on September 11, but perhaps not for youngsters.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare_passes.cfm
Note that the 5 day pass has confusing-star-little notes in the fine print part that contradict what the RCT told me on Facebook. But that is part of the game here, just like figuring promos in the casino. They come, They go, They change the rules. Folks slip in and out. I think the Facebook information is correct. I know Walgreen's sells them because I called them and asked directly.
What the RTC decided with all this wonderful bus renovation is that they wanted to create two classes of fares, one for the locals and one for the tourists, so they could milk that tourist dollar a bit more while giving a perk to the local riders, but they cannot figure a way to effectively do that other than to charge one set of prices when we board residential and another when we board Deuce and SDX.
The move on 9-11 is to make tourist seniors second class seniors by not offering reduced prices on Deuce and SDX except for folks who boarded residential buses and have a local ID. If they take out the reduced fare options from the vending machines on the strip, then tourist seniors must pay full fare. It is a nasty business. I know residential bus riders are the working poor of Vegas, but tourist dollar drive the economy of Vegas, and we all have contributed to the fund of simulus dollars that has allowed Vegas to revamp their bus system during the worst recession of modern times.
All fares used to be the same for everyone. They should keep it that way for the fare to be fair.
Sorry. None of that affects you.
Okay, let me recap and then you ask about places where I have confused you.
My suggested strategy is you buy a one way WAX ticket to downtown from ground Zero at the airport.
Once downtown you go into that Fremont Street Walgreen’s and buy a 5 day pass and you are good to go anywhere, anytime on any bus. You won’t find that ticket is available along the strip. Other Walgreen's and Albertson's have them, but they are in local neighborhoods for the convenience of locals, not where tourists walk.
If Walgreen’s decides they don’t want to sell the passes on the Fremont Experience, then you want to stop at the BTC on your way in to town and buy one or make do with vending machine options.
And I suggest that when you are on the strip you take at least one ride on the 202 or 201. Maybe you go to Terribles, stop there and walk down to the HardRock which most visitors think is inaccessible except by car or cab.
Get a feel for the Flamingo bus. It has changed how I see Vegas.
Basically, Flamingo is my "strip."
202 makes Flamingo, from Gold Coast to Eastside Cannery accessible at all hours of the day and night. Just the leg from the Gold Coast up to Ellis Island is a treat as it ties together inexpensive casinos with good food and good gambling. It is uncrowded and runs about 20 minutes until early AM when it runs every hour.
If none of that is appealing you might like a ride out the 201 to get to the well loved Pinball Hall of Fame where you can play the old pinball machines of my youth.
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
These residential routes are free of the crowds of tourists and out of the strip traffic. Most Vegas visitors don't know anything about them. Some regular tourists find that being among the common folks grates against their upscale Vegas experience or they are in too much of a hurry for buses and they lean more to limo or cab or rental than city bus.
So these buses are underused resources.
I also suggest that you print out a copy of the schedule for the 201 and 202, so you don’t show up at the bus stop with much waiting time.
In the daytime in the hot summer, waiting for a bus can be uncomfortable. At night it is just annoying. Planning can preclude that discomfort. If you are planned, you spend a bit more time at the table and then walk out for soon to come bus.
Finally, when you get back you owe us a bus report. How did it go. You have a perspective that I don't have. You are new to buses. Help other newbies decide if they want to risk being awash in the people of an egalitarian democracy or enjoy elite status, if they want to be frugal or extravagant. It is not an easy decision. This particular part of this board is the place to put that info, or if you write a trip report, give us a heads up here.
And win some money so next trip you can just hire a car, some foo foo chauffeur and say "James" a lot
However, I think I can answer your question with, with the caveat that all things bus like change periodically, and this year things are going through great changes again as they did in November of last year.
There are just two categories of bus routes One of those categories include the strip buses, the Deuce and the Strip to Downtown express (SDX). These buses are the ones that you want to use to get you from downtown to the strip and back. The decision will be where on the strip you want to go. The Express has fewer stops but is much faster and less crowded than the Deuce. You want to ride it whenever you can as long as it will drop you where you want to go. It also runs just during certain hours of the day, 9 am to 12:30 am (see the schedule page for details. It was designed to end the congestion on the Deuce so it runs during heavy traffic times and not in the early morning.
Here are all the bus routes.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/route/
Check the routes of the SDX and Deuce and see where they go. The Deuce you can pick up downtown just around the corner of the Fremont Experience. The SDX picks up at a stop near Binions. Those places should be well marked and you can ask people to be certain you are in the right place. The places have changed at times. Note where the SDX stops are located on the strip and write it down or copy the map to have in your pocket.
Neither of these are luggage friendly. Small bags, stuff that fits on your lap is always okay. Larger bags are up to the driver. More seems being allowed on the SDX than on the Deuce.
The SDX is a very different kind of bus. You don't meet the driver. You buy a ticket in a vending machine and get on board and at random these ticket checkers board and come through checking tickets like on many trains. You can even board from the back, but you have to already have your ticket. This speeds up boarding.
My guess is that strip buses are most of what you will travel for your first time; however, from downtown, once you get to the Bonneville Transfer Center (BTC) you have plenty of options. And if you want to go off strip, the bus running down Flamingo 202 and the one running downTropicana 201 are great resources, especially when used in conjunction with the free shuttles that Harrah's runs and the shuttles that the Boyd Casinos run between Bill's, Gold Coast, and the Orleans. Because their free shuttles do not run 24 hours, the buses give you cheap flexibility. These routes are called residential routes because most of the riders are locals.
The WAX that runs from the airport is counterintuitively classified as a residential route.
So here is the dilemma. If you first board a residential bus, than you get residential rates, including on the 24 hour pass. Technically, the bus folks claim that only folks with a local ID get to ride every bus after they buy a residential pass.
If you board the Deuce or SDX, then you get a little higher rate and an all access pass that lets everyone ride anything. Now, actually I have not read of a single person who has been asked for a local ID when using a residential pass of any sort to board Deuce of SDX and the bus company once told me on the phone what the WAX bus driver told me and that is that residential passes will allow even tourists to use the more expensive buses but they want to keep that a secret so they don’t advertise it.
Up until recently it was impossible to buy a 5 day pass without going out to the Bonneville Transit Center. Teh 5 day is not in machines.
Well planned bus riders like Jimbo338 would stop there on the way from the airport as the SDX has a stop across from the center, buy a 5 day or maybe two, and be set for the trip. Now those 5 day passes can be bought at Walgreen’s right there in Downtown, but only the 5 day (and 30 day passes that are just too much for most tourists.)
Now they have decided, I guess, that the 5 day is now an all access pass, officially. Jimbo will tell you that it has been all access in practice and that the 24 hour pass from the WAX driver also works on all buses in practice.
But remember, that is a secret. Or the bus folks are confused. One board member here asked the question three times to three different drivers and go three different answers.
So, here is what I would do if I were you.
I’d buy a one way ticket on the WAX from the driver that will get you and your luggage downtown because you just need to take one ride to do that. There is some issue on whether older routes (108/09)are at sometimes faster because at times the WAX runs just every hour, but I’d stick with the WAX because the math I do suggests that even if you wait the full hour you probably will beat the 108 or 109 if you then take another bus from the BTC to get to Fremont.
Some actually walk the five blocks to Fremont from the BTC. I don’t. The neighborhood seems sketchy at times and I’m vulnerable with a large suitcase held by an old weak guy.
All the buses from the airport are residential and since it is debated whether that pass would be good enough for the Deuce/SDX, it is technically correct and safest to just go one way from the airport, get downtown, the then buy all access passes, either a 5 day from the Walgreen’s or a 3 day from the vending machine or a 24 hour from the vending machine.
However, Jimbo's strategy is to get to the BTC on his way into Vegas as cheaply as possible because he knows he can buy any pass there as well, board a bus to downtown, and get any information or new schedules so his information is current. That makes good sense as well. Then you don't have to decide between Walgreen's and vending machines at the bus stop.
On the other hand, to then get to your hotel you are going to have to use a pass you bought. I won't leave downtown until a couple of days after I arrive, so Walgreen's works great for me. I don't want a 5 day pass that I won't use for the first three days.
Here are the prices. They might change but generally we get plenty of warning. They will change on September 11, but perhaps not for youngsters.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare_passes.cfm
Note that the 5 day pass has confusing-star-little notes in the fine print part that contradict what the RCT told me on Facebook. But that is part of the game here, just like figuring promos in the casino. They come, They go, They change the rules. Folks slip in and out. I think the Facebook information is correct. I know Walgreen's sells them because I called them and asked directly.
What the RTC decided with all this wonderful bus renovation is that they wanted to create two classes of fares, one for the locals and one for the tourists, so they could milk that tourist dollar a bit more while giving a perk to the local riders, but they cannot figure a way to effectively do that other than to charge one set of prices when we board residential and another when we board Deuce and SDX.
The move on 9-11 is to make tourist seniors second class seniors by not offering reduced prices on Deuce and SDX except for folks who boarded residential buses and have a local ID. If they take out the reduced fare options from the vending machines on the strip, then tourist seniors must pay full fare. It is a nasty business. I know residential bus riders are the working poor of Vegas, but tourist dollar drive the economy of Vegas, and we all have contributed to the fund of simulus dollars that has allowed Vegas to revamp their bus system during the worst recession of modern times.
All fares used to be the same for everyone. They should keep it that way for the fare to be fair.
Sorry. None of that affects you.
Okay, let me recap and then you ask about places where I have confused you.
My suggested strategy is you buy a one way WAX ticket to downtown from ground Zero at the airport.
Once downtown you go into that Fremont Street Walgreen’s and buy a 5 day pass and you are good to go anywhere, anytime on any bus. You won’t find that ticket is available along the strip. Other Walgreen's and Albertson's have them, but they are in local neighborhoods for the convenience of locals, not where tourists walk.
If Walgreen’s decides they don’t want to sell the passes on the Fremont Experience, then you want to stop at the BTC on your way in to town and buy one or make do with vending machine options.
And I suggest that when you are on the strip you take at least one ride on the 202 or 201. Maybe you go to Terribles, stop there and walk down to the HardRock which most visitors think is inaccessible except by car or cab.
Get a feel for the Flamingo bus. It has changed how I see Vegas.
Basically, Flamingo is my "strip."
202 makes Flamingo, from Gold Coast to Eastside Cannery accessible at all hours of the day and night. Just the leg from the Gold Coast up to Ellis Island is a treat as it ties together inexpensive casinos with good food and good gambling. It is uncrowded and runs about 20 minutes until early AM when it runs every hour.
If none of that is appealing you might like a ride out the 201 to get to the well loved Pinball Hall of Fame where you can play the old pinball machines of my youth.
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
These residential routes are free of the crowds of tourists and out of the strip traffic. Most Vegas visitors don't know anything about them. Some regular tourists find that being among the common folks grates against their upscale Vegas experience or they are in too much of a hurry for buses and they lean more to limo or cab or rental than city bus.
So these buses are underused resources.
I also suggest that you print out a copy of the schedule for the 201 and 202, so you don’t show up at the bus stop with much waiting time.
In the daytime in the hot summer, waiting for a bus can be uncomfortable. At night it is just annoying. Planning can preclude that discomfort. If you are planned, you spend a bit more time at the table and then walk out for soon to come bus.
Finally, when you get back you owe us a bus report. How did it go. You have a perspective that I don't have. You are new to buses. Help other newbies decide if they want to risk being awash in the people of an egalitarian democracy or enjoy elite status, if they want to be frugal or extravagant. It is not an easy decision. This particular part of this board is the place to put that info, or if you write a trip report, give us a heads up here.
And win some money so next trip you can just hire a car, some foo foo chauffeur and say "James" a lot
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