While we were in Las Vegas recently we found that walking the Strip can be a somewhat tiring experience. Everything looks so close when you look up the Strip but as you walk along you find that there is quite some distance between casinos. And if you deviate off the main road into a Casino well it may take you quite some time to find your way out again plus it will definitely add some considerable distance to your stroll.
Fortunately, the two buses that service the strip and downtown are inexpensive to use and will help you to enjoy more of the sights on the strip.
Firstly there is the Deuce, which came into service in October,2005. It was so named because the buses were double decker, at the time it cost $2.00 to ride one way and the service connected the two primary gambling areas of the Strip and Downtown. The service runs 24/7 and the frequency is around 15 minutes during the day; in the early hours of the morning between 2am and 5am the frequency is around 30 minutes. On the whole we found the wait times to be really goo.
The buses are 40ft long and seat 27 people on the lower deck and 53 on the upper deck. Most times we traveled on the Deuce bus it was packed. We had much more luck on the RTC but it could just have been something to do with the time of day that we were traveling.
Nowadays the Deuce buses still service the Strip and the Downtown area but it currently costs $5.oo for 2 hours, $7.00 for 24 hours and $20 for a three day pass. We figured that as we weren’t too sure what we were doing from day to day, the 24 hour ticket was all we required at any given time.
Your ticket entitles you to ride on any RTC transit line which is an absolute bargain. So if you need to go off the strip you can use your ticket on any of the RTC services that run across the strip. We used our tickets to catch the RTC bus down Flamingo Drive to the AT&T store to get sim cards for the ipads and to go on another occasion to the Atomic Energy Museum.
The Deuce bus stops at every casino, and in some cases such as Caesars there are two bus stops, which is really convenient but it does mean that it can take a while to get you to your destination. Also, although the Deuce bus goes to Fremont St in Downtown, it does not go to either of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets. Thankfully the RTC also operates a service that stops at fewer casinos and goes to both the Premium Outlets and Downtown. Because this service doesn’t stop at all of the casino’s the trip is quicker.
Getting a ticket is really easy as there are ticket dispensers at every stop, however, you must have the right change as no change is given. You cannot purchase a ticket on the RTC although you can buy one on the Deuce bus.
Some of the stops have inspectors that check if passengers have valid tickets. There are discounts for seniors and children under 5 years of age travel free when accompanied by and adult.
Here is a link to the Deuce and RTC bus timetable and bus stops. The timetable and maps are available online.
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