What are some cheap ways to get from the strip to downtown?

Are there any cheap shuttles? Busses maybe? I'll be staying on the strip next month and want to go downtown one night but dont really want to pay $40-50 bucks round trip by taking cabs

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I assume that is a bus? Sorry I don't know what the deuce is :)

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Nevermind I just googled it. Thanks

Quote: Beardgoat

I assume that is a bus? Sorry I don't know what the deuce is :)

It's a double-decker bus.

Buy the day pass from a vending machine at a stop, by all means. But take the SDX (Strip & Downtown Express), as it make sfar fewer stops along the way.

I would take the downtown express. Fewer stops on the strip: Bellagio - Fremont is about 20 minutes depending on traffic.

It's a bus, for sure..

You could also visit outlying casinos on the same pass. For instance, if you take Freemont/Boulderhighway back from downtown you can change buses at major roads like Flamingo and Tropicana or another major road to get back to your primary casino on the Strip making a triangular route instead of straight back and forth from downtown.

All for the same price as long as it's in the 24 hours.

It's 20 minutes between buses on the major roads for possible wait times..

You can find maps and schedules for the Deuce and the SDX here.

As others have mentioned, the Deuce is the slower, local bus, and the SDX is the faster express bus with limited stops.

By the way, don't get alarmed when the SDX makes a jog off of the strip at Convention Center Drive -- it comes back to cross Las Vegas Blvd. near the Stratosphere and then heads downtown.

Quote: tupp

As others have mentioned, the Deuce is the slower, local bus, and the SDX is the faster express bus with limited stops.

It makes for a very big difference. Sometimes as much as 20-40 minutes trip time. One reason is the number of stops, but another is that on the Deuce each person boarding must either pay or swipe a ticket. I took the Deuce only to get to certain stops the SDX doesn't make. Liek Tacos el Gordo, for instance :)

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Quote: Nareed

It makes for a very big difference. Sometimes as much as 20-40 minutes trip time. One reason is the number of stops, but another is that on the Deuce each person boarding must either pay or swipe a ticket. I took the Deuce only to get to certain stops the SDX doesn't make. Liek Tacos el Gordo, for instance :)

Also, most of the riders are clueless tourists who have never ridden a city bus. So, the accessible driver on the Deuce ends up explaining fares, passes and the concept of exact change to every other person boarding.

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Quote: tupp

Also, most of the riders are clueless tourists who have never ridden a city bus. So, the accessible driver on the Deuce ends up explaining fares, passes and the concept of exact change to every other person boarding.

Oh, there's that, too.

On the SDX the driver is safely ensconced behind an opaque glass door, guarded by a sign ordering people not to disturb him :)

Oh, did I tell the story of how I got on the SDX with an expired ticket? Luckily no ticket inspector came aboard on that trip.

Quote: rxwine

You could also visit outlying casinos on the same pass. For instance, if you take Freemont/Boulderhighway back from downtown you can change buses at major roads like Flamingo and Tropicana or another major road to get back to your primary casino on the Strip making a triangular route instead of straight back and forth from downtown. All for the same price as long as it's in the 24 hours.

This is an excellent suggestion.

The Boulder Strip is a great with some really nice new properties, along with older, smaller casinos having very low minimums. The locals vibe is much more "laid-back," and there are significantly fewer loud drunks.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions

Two more options:
If you are staying at New York New York, P-ho, Aria, or any of the Trop-LVB properties, the WAX bus comes every hour down Trop and gets on the I-15 to downtown. Cost=$2.00 one way.
If you are staying up by Wynncore, Venelazzo, or TI/Mirage, the CX bus comes every hour up Spring Mountain, and gets on the I-15 downtown. Cost=$2.00 one way.

Quote: teddys

Two more options:
If you are staying at New York New York, P-ho, Aria, or any of the Trop-LVB properties, the WAX bus comes every hour down Trop and gets on the I-15 to downtown. Cost=$2.00 one way.
If you are staying up by Wynncore, Venelazzo, or TI/Mirage, the CX bus comes every hour up Spring Mountain, and gets on the I-15 downtown. Cost=$2.00 one way.

Would add that the $7 all day passes for the deuce and SDX are also valid on these lines and this is a much faster and less crowded trip downtown than using either the SDX or deuce.

I wish I'd known about the SDX instead of the Deuce on my last trip. The Deuce was very crowded, and pretty slow. I'm guessing it took 30 minutes to go from the Venetian to Downtown and almost 45 to go back from Downtown to the Bellagio.

Quote: Toes14

I wish I'd known about the SDX instead of the Deuce on my last trip. The Deuce was very crowded, and pretty slow. I'm guessing it took 30 minutes to go from the Venetian to Downtown and almost 45 to go back from Downtown to the Bellagio.

The expensive ticket is valid on either the SDS or the Deuce. Some stops serve both SDX and Deuce, others times they are a few hundred feet away. You can take SDX if you want to go fast, and Deuce if you want to make an in-between stop (like for Tacos El Gordo). Also the pass is also valid on any other bus in the city as well. You can take the city bus to The Palms if you don't want to walk under the I15 or pay for the taxi.

The Deuce made me want to take up a better hobby, like bashing my head against a rock to create diamond dust.

You could, I guess, walk?

Or take the Sam's Town shuttle from the strip to Sam's, then from Sam's to Downtown.

Quote: pacomartin

Another possibility for a city bus is to go to the M resort.

RTC doesn't go to the "M." You can go to Red Rock, South Point, Santa Fe Station, Rampart, and Silverton though. Even Jokers Wild.

Quote: thecesspit

The Deuce made me want to take up a better hobby, like bashing my head against a rock to create diamond dust.

You could, I guess, walk?

Or take the Sam's Town shuttle from the strip to Sam's, then from Sam's to Downtown.

Not interested in walking 4 miles one way haha

Quote: pacomartin

The expensive ticket is valid on either the SDS or the Deuce. Some stops serve both SDX and Deuce, others times they are a few hundred feet away. You can take SDX if you want to go fast, and Deuce if you want to make an in-between stop (like for Tacos El Gordo). Also the pass is also valid on any other bus in the city as well. You can take the city bus to The Palms if you don't want to walk under the I15 or pay for the taxi.

Another possibility for a city bus is to go to the M resort.

There is no RTC route (city bus) that goes to or near M resort. The 117 bus goes as far south as South Point but that is still a full 3 miles north of M resort. The 110 actually goes slightly further south and crosses St Rose parkway, but that is also 3 miles north east of M Resort. The only way to access M resort (without driving) that I am familiar with is their free shuttle between fashion show mall and M resort 4 times a day. And if you are a 'walker' thinking of walking the 3 miles from South Point to M....don't do it. Las Vegas Blvd down there is NOT like LVB on the strip. There are no sidewalks. You are walking on the shoulder of a pretty busy road.

The M does have shuttles to the airport and to Fashion Show Mall, but supposedly they are for hotel guests only. What other casinos in the Las Vegas metro area are not served by RTC?

Quote: kewlj

There is no RTC route (city bus) that goes to or near M resort. The 117 bus goes as far south as South Point but that is still a full 3 miles north of M resort.

I am sorry, but I thought it went as far as the M. I will delete my post as it is bad information. There is no bus route to Rampart either

Here is a list of all of the off-strip casinos and the bus route they are on. For most people the only local bus routes of interest is the 202.


Name - Route Number(s) Locations
M Resort No Route Las Vegas Blvd. at St. Rose Pkwy.
Rampart No Route Rampart Blvd. at Summerlin Pkwy.


Route #202 route and schedule

Rio 202 Flamingo Rd. at Valley View Blvd.
Gold Coast 104, 202 Flamingo Rd. at Valley View Blvd.
The Palms 104, 202 Flamingo Rd. at Valley View Blvd.

Orleans 104, 201 Tropicana Ave. at Arville St.


Hard Rock 108 Paradise Rd. at Harmon Ave.
Las Vegas Hotel 108, SDX Paradise Rd. at Riviera Blvd.


Aliante Station 119 Aliante Pkwy. at Elkhorn Rd.
Arizona Charlie’s 103, 207 Decatur Blvd. at Alta Dr.
Arizona Charlie’s East BHX Boulder Hwy. at Indios Ave.
Boulder Station 203, BHX, SX Boulder Hwy. at Desert Inn/Lamb
Cannery 219 Craig Rd. at Losee Rd.
Eastside Cannery 202, BHX Boulder Hwy. at Harmon Ave.
Eldorado 217, HDX Water St. at Atlantic Ave.
Fiesta (Henderson) 217 US-93 and Lake Mead Dr.
Fiesta (Rancho) 106, 210 Rancho at Lake Mead Blvd.
Green Valley Ranch 111 Green Valley Pkwy. at I-215
Jerry’s Nugget 113, MAX Las Vegas Blvd. at North 5th St.
Jokers Wild 402 Boulder Hwy. at Warm Springs Rd.
Palace Station 119, SX Sahara Ave. at I-15
Red Rock Resort SX Charleston Blvd. at CC-215
Sam’s Town 115, 202, BHX, HDX Boulder Hwy. at Nellis Blvd.
Santa Fe Station 101, 106, 219 Rancho Dr. at US-95 North
Silver Nugget 113 Las Vegas Blvd. North of Lake Mead Blvd.
Silverton 217 Blue Diamond Rd. at I-15
South Point 117 Las Vegas Blvd. at Silverado Ranch Blvd.
Suncoast WAX Rampart Blvd. at Alta Dr.
Sunset Station 115, 212, 217, 402, BHX Sunset Rd. at Stephanie St.
Texas Station 106, 210 Rancho Dr. at Lake Mead Blvd.
Terrible’s 108, 202 Flamingo Rd. at Paradise Rd.
Tuscany 119, 202 Flamingo Rd. East of Koval Ln.
Wild Wild West 201 Tropicana Ave. at Dean Martin Dr.

Quote: pacomartin

I am sorry, but I thought it went as far as the M. I will delete my post as it is bad information. There is no bus route to Rampart either

There is no bus to the Rampart but you can take a bus to the Westcliff Transit Center and walk along Angel Park Trail next to a golf course and park to get to the casino. It is about a mile walk. This is an easy way to get to the Suncoast, as well:

Reuters and yahoo ran a story this week about the larger percentage of generation Y (ages 16-34) that choose not to drive. 26% of this group don't have valid driver's licenses. I guess I was part of that group. Living in the center city district of a large eastern city (phila), I chose not to drive. Expense was part of it, as people paid upwards of $500 for monthly parking spot. (I have friends that pay that for housing...lol) But it wasn't just expense. Living in the real center city district, I didn't need a car. It was almost a hassle. I walked most places I wanted to go and the transit system was pretty good and reliable. In my last couple years, I joined a car-share program, which most major cities have one such program now, where you rent a car on an hourly basis if you need it. This made food shopping and errands easier.

In dec 2009, I relocated to Las Vegas. I still didn't WANT to drive and my first year here, I did not. Of course Vegas, like many western cities, is more spread out. It is more difficult to choose not to drive here. But for that first year, I became pretty acquainted with RTC (transit sytem). I also am a huge bike rider, so I rode a lot of places. But again, Vegas isn't really bike friendly as many east coast cities are with bike lanes and trails ect. RTC is actually pretty good here. Pretty reliable and accurate as far as schedules, but as I said things are spread out here. Being that I play blackjack for a living, and that requires me to hit the many outlying, local's casinos, I couldn't afford to spend an hour or two getting to each one, so I did break down and bought a car last year. (I won a vehicle in a drawing earlier this year, so perhaps I should have waited a year...lol) Anyway, despite now owning a car, If I am playing on the strip or downtown, I still choose to leave my car at home and utilize RTC. RTC is pretty decent, but the funny thing is the weakest part of their system is the strip routes. The deuce is crowded and slow. Strip and downtown express is a slight improvement, but despite less frequent stops, and access through all doors, to speed entering the vehicle, it still must navigate strip traffic, so the improvements are only so good.

Since arriving here, I have said, the biggest thing Vegas screwed up on was the monorail. They should have build the monorail, right over Las Vegas Blvd, giving folks access to both sides of the strip rather than a half mile to the rear of half the properties, and it should have been extended to the airport, rather than ending a half mile from it, as well as continued all the way downtown. Imagine how much less congestion there would be on the strip with a properly functioning monorail. Vegas is supposed to be a world class tourist destination, they should have world class transportation, rather than packing people into a slow crawling double decker bus in the heat of the summer.

For cities in the Western US, Las Vegas's bus system is actually fairly good. The 30 day pass is reasonable, buses run late into the evening and the major ones run all night, and most of the key business areas are covered, although the system's footprint hasn't grown in the last 20 years to cover all the new development in the Summerlin and Centennial corridors. For the average Vegas working class person, who lives in an apartment or single family house along one of the major streets, it works fine. The grid system necessarily results in variable wait time for transfers, and there is no real time bus information, but it is possible to get around without a car in Las Vegas relatively simply, provided you don't mind waiting in the hot sun.

Quote: kewlj

Since arriving here, I have said, the biggest thing Vegas screwed up on was the monorail. They should have build the monorail, right over Las Vegas Blvd, giving folks access to both sides of the strip rather than a half mile to the rear of half the properties, and it should have been extended to the airport, rather than ending a half mile from it, as well as continued all the way downtown. Imagine how much less congestion there would be on the strip with a properly functioning monorail. Vegas is supposed to be a world class tourist destination, they should have world class transportation, rather than packing people into a slow crawling double decker bus in the heat of the summer.

The monorail was a private enterprise to support private interest. It was originally a way to connect the old MGM Grand (currently Bally's) with the new MGM Grand. They expanded it primarily as a way to get people to the convention center quickly and easily. The executives of that system make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. It's hard to believe that running a 7 stop inconvenient slow moving monorail deserves a bigger salary than the POTUS.

MGM resorts now owns three cable car systems. The backup cable for the Mandalay Bay-Treasure Island has never been used, the original is still working.

That company claims to have made a breakthrough in their technology. They can now build a system up to 6 miles in length (long enough to reach downtown). These cable cars are very quiet compared to many modern motor driven systems.

Quote: teddys

There is no bus to the Rampart but you can take a bus to the Westcliff Transit Center and walk along Angel Park Trail next to a golf course and park to get to the casino. It is about a mile walk. This is an easy way to get to the Suncoast, as well:

The WAX no goes past the Westcliff Transit Center to the Suncoast. So you only have to walk from the Suncoast to Rampart.

Great info on this thread. Thanks to all.

I have utilized the Deuce and SDX often, but I never considered
using the bus to visit the "locals joints." I need to study the map
and make a plan for my next trip.

Any casinos that I should have on my "must visit" list?

I pretty much live on the bus system whenever I'm in Vegas (I travel alone, and am never there long enough to make renting a car worth the bother, including the bother of trying to park at casinos). I suggest you get the latest version of the RTC Transit Guide for more details on the routes - except for the Deuce and SDX, this will give you some idea as to how often buses run on each route and how long the rides take. I assume you have the latest version of the map (which includes the new Sahara Express (SX) route)?

Quote: RoundMan

I have utilized the Deuce and SDX often, but I never considered
using the bus to visit the "locals joints." I need to study the map
and make a plan for my next trip.

I hitched a ride last time (thans again, Doc!). But you may want to look at the Sam's Town shuttle schedules. They're free, open to the general public, and far more comfortable than the bus. Once at Boulder Highway, you can walk to the next casino or take the bus.

Quote:

Any casinos that I should have on my "must visit" list?

I'm not sure if the bus lines reach there, but the Fiest Henderson. That's where Dan deals his EZ Pai Gow game. Just stay away from the craps table, it's a killer ;)

Quote: Nareed

I'm not sure if the bus lines reach there, but the Fiest Henderson. That's where Dan deals his EZ Pai Gow game. Just stay away from the craps table, it's a killer ;)

The 217 does, but it only runs once an hour - from the Strip, you can take the SDX (not the Deuce, as it doesn't go that far south) to the southern transfer terminal, and transfer to the 217 East (you can also take the 217 West to get to the Silverton); from downtown, take the HDX (not the BHX) to Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson, then take the 217 West (or transfer to the 402 South, which also runs hourly, if you want to go to the Railroad Pass in Boulder City).

Besides the M, the only casino I can see on the Wizard of Vegas maps that isn't near any bus route is the Hacienda on US-93.

Quote: RoundMan

Any casinos that I should have on my "must visit" list?

Depends on what you prefer. If you like craps and low minimums, then go to Jokers Wild. They have a dollar table, and they breakdown the payoffs into quarter chips (i.e. a $1.25 place bet on the 9 pays $1.50). Although Jokers Wild is on Boulder Hwy. at Warm Springs, one must transfer to the 402 at Sunset, when coming from Downtown. This transfer is necessary because the BHX turns off of Boulder Hwy at Sunset (ending at Sunset Station) before Warm Springs, and because the HDX doesn't stop at Warm Springs.

If you like low stakes Roulette, the El Dorado (the sister casino of Jokers Wild) has ten cent roulette in the afternoons (after 4:15pm ?). The El Dorado also has a dollar Shoot To Win machine. The HDX stops right in front of the El Dorado.

I'm pretty sure that there is no full time Black Jack at either casino. Jokers Wild has poker.

If you want to go visit a nicer hotel/casino, go to any of the the big properties along Boulder Hwy., and Several buses can take get to Sunset Station (slightly off Boulder Hwy.).

Again, you will generally find significantly fewer tourists and loud drunks at these locals casinos.

The Wild Wild West on Tropicana might still have the sit-down, crapshooter tub. It is just West of the 15 freeway (about a ten minute walk from the strip).

Quote: ThatDonGuy

The 217 does, but it only runs once an hour -

Thanks for the info!

But next year I expect I'll thumb another ride :)

If you're planning to eat at one of outlying casinos, arrange your stop around one of the larger ones at meal time, otherwise your choice will be fairly limited and probaby diner dive stuff. But if you don't mind that, then it doesn't matter, all of them at least have some dining. (that I can think of anyway)

Quote: tupp

Again, you will generally find significantly fewer tourists and loud drunks at these locals casinos.

I'm beginning to think some people, not all, become quasi-locals after their third or fouth trip to Vegas :)

BTW would you like to split a room next WoCon? We could do a grand tour of the locals joints. Hell, we can do the tour without splitting a room, too. I manage to get around pretty well, but I don't understand a bus route until I take it. Before then I'm very undertain it will gow here I need to go.