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Good bus pass news

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by Dewey090, Oct 19, 2012.

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  1. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    I received three reports from well done interviews of BTC clerks and the news on 15 day and 30 day passes is that they are all access without the need for a local ID. Senior passes of course demand the senior ID.

    Here is the note from Weas:

    Hi Dewey,

    Just back from Vegas. I went to the BTC on Sat. 10-12. I spoke with Cristy. She indicated the 15 day reduced fare ticket was good on all routes including Duece, SDX. I asked her this twice and twice asked don't you need a local NV ID for it to be valid on Deuce and SDX, she said, "No, only a senior id."

    She also said all denomination of coins are good on the bus, although she didn't know about the Sacagawea dollar coins. She asked how long I was in Vegas, and I said, "5 days." She indicated I would come out much better buying the 15 day reduced fare ticket for $17.50. I once again asked about it being all access and she said," Yes."


    I obtained my senior fare id, in the past I have been able to obtain the old 5 day pass at Walgreens with my DL and medicare card.


    Although I had a car my first four days, I returned it on Wednesday and took the WAX to the Suncoast. I put my $1.00 in and the driver wasn't interested in seeing my senior fare ID.


    While downtown I notice a lady checking passes at Binion's stop and giving people information. Unlike a former poster she did not appear to have an attitude but was just being helpful.


    I hope this information is helpful and valid when you go to Vegas.
    .

    ************************************
    Yes, very helpful indeed.
    ***********************************

    Keno 60 reported the experience this way

    Just got back. I am going to make this quick! Went down to Bus center asked about 15 day pass it is all access! I asked 2x and looked at the machine outside the center and it said all access! I did not try to use 24 hr. res. on the strip. I was able to purchase a 5 day at the Walgreens downtown and they said they would sell them till they ran out! I questioned and they said " if it doesn't work bring it back".

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

    And Pebbles too asked the questions and received similar answers:

    Pebbles wrote: "I went to ask the other day and they assured me that the 15 day and 30 day passes were indeed all access. All the shorter duration passes require local ID. "

    **************************************
    I'd say that this puts to rest any worry until the next time the schedules and rates change, certainly no sooner than a year from now.

    Many thanks to all three of these investigators. Note the 24 hour residential pass still requires a local ID and the fact that the website chart forgets to star the 15 day pass is just an error, perhaps intentional.

    http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare-information/
    15 day passes for seniors at $17 sure beats a 3 day strip pass at $20.
    These can be purchased in machines at the SSTT, at the BTC, or at the downtown Walgreen's as well as many other vendors around the city. Most don't overlap much with tourist itineraries, but taking the 109 from the airport to Flamingo will put you near a Walgreen's and an Alberson's that would sell them a pass for the rest of the journey. Here is the list of vendor's. Always call ahead and ask if they still have them.

    http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare-information/where-to-buy-a-pass-around-town/

    And I think the promotion that gives you breaks in downtown eateries if you show you bus pass is still in effect. Four Queens especially honors these passes although for seniors it is a wash because they discount seniors at the same rate. Check with the provider to see if they will give the discount. Call before you go if you can. Sometimes it takes them a while to check this rarely used coupon deal.

    Thanks again Keno60, Pebbles, and Weas.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 20, 2012
  2. pebbles

    pebbles Micro Roller.

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    Dewey, thanks for relating my information. This is the first ime that I have had decent internet access since I visited the bus depot.
     
  3. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    Writing it up is the easy part. Thanks for collecting it. It certainly feels great to gain some clarity on these passes. It changes the way I plan my next trip, and I know from all the mail I get that it affects other travelers as they plan as well. I can't really remember a time when 3 people independently asked the same questions and got the same consistent answers from the RTC, but I think going in person to the BTC is the right way to get clear and consistent answers.
    Also, it seemed good news that there was no further movement by the RTC to charge tourists and locals differently. Certainly, the elimination of the 5 day pass was a strategic move to eliminate a really good deal for tourists, but at least it is all access without a local ID, and the RTC seems to know that it is.
    It always seemed enough of a strategy to just put these fares out of the reach of 95 per cent of tourists who will pay the strip prices for their few days in Vegas without eliminating the entire opportunity for the same frugal access for the other 5 per cent who will do eough planning to find the deal and be willing to go to the places that offer it. All the tourists using these longer and cheaper passes are regulars who go to Vegas often. It does not hurt for them to be given a bit of incentive to keep Vegas on their regular lists of visits.
    The fare increases originally suggested by the committee also included huge raises in the fees for senior across the board. I was happy to see them back off on that as well when final decsions were made.
    Thanks again for taking the time to do the leg work.

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

    Oh, just a note on the Sacajawea dollar coin. It does work in the bus coin boxes. Some riders find it easier to carry and drop coins when their hands are full than to fiddle with threading a dollar through the machine.
     
  4. theshaah

    theshaah High-Roller

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    My friend is a local who told me that even if you have a single day pass that is the 5 dollar "locals" price pass that you can buy on any local route that if you ride the SDX they just want to see that you have a pass and do not check any id to see if you are a local. If you try to ride the deuce the machine automatically asks for more money. But the SDX (which is what I would most likely ride anyway going back downtown) does not require ID.
     
  5. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    The single day, 24 hour pass, technically is not vaid on strip buses unless we have a local ID. Your friend, being a loca,l has that privilege, but we tourists do not. That being said, there are some posters here who claim that the RTC never checks for local ID, so that restrictive rule in their experience has not been enforced.

    You can't buy the 15 or 30 day pass on any residential route but only at certain machines and at Vendor's located off the path of most tourists or at the BTC or SSTT. Some of us buy them in the area of where Maryland and Vegas Blvd meet as there are some vendor's nearby. Many of us buy them downtown at the Walgreen's there.

    Many of us don't like the idea of being put off the SDX in a sketchy neighborhood because the inspectors decide to enforce the rule on tourists needing a local ID when trying to use 24 hour residential pass to ride the SDX or the Deuce. We better like playing by the rules than risking difficulties, including the possiblity of fines, remote as that might be. Of course, if you wanted to try it and see and chose the Deuce on the strip, at least you would know immediately if you were allowed access or not, since it is the driver's job to check the local ID and once by him/her you would not encounter anyone else checking passes.
    Many of us most interested in this pass issue are trying to get our half price senior benefits to apply on strip buses. And the 15 day value is a better deal than any 10 days of 24 hour passes anyway. Using the 15 day pass, even 10 days of travel at $2.50 a day (senior rate on residential lines) would be $8 more than a 15 day pass for seniors and $34 for a 15 day passm compared to 24 hour $5 day passes would add $16 for youngsters plus the anxiety of worrying who is checking what ID and when and what it means and when exactly the pass expires.
    One way to compare it to the 24 hour residential passes is that you save money buying a 15 day pass if you ride the bus for more than 6 days.

    I might add here that I really liked the convenience of my 30 day pass in my pocket. I could ride the SDX, HDX, BHX, and next trip the SX and for most of the trips never have to look at my pass. I did not have to ask myself whether a single ride would suit me, or when I needed the next 24 hour pass or run for the bus to make the last few minutes of a 24 hour pass. I merely had to show it with my ID when the inspectors came about.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 22, 2012
  6. spoonpower

    spoonpower Guest

    Hi guys,

    I will be travelling to Vegas on Nov 3 for 3 days. I am interested to get an unlimited access bus for 3 days. I am mainly interested travel along the strip as well as the outlets.

    I saw there is a 3 days bus passess for SDX & Deuce for $20.

    http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com/strip-downtown-express.php

    Which bus pass should I get? Please advise...

    Thanks,

    spoonpower
     
  7. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    Check the places that the SDX stops. It is like an express bus but it does not stop everywhere along the strip. When you can't take the SDX, then the Deuce is the strip option. You can see both schedules here

    http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/routes-maps-schedules/

    You buy those three day passes in machines along the SDX route. When you ride the SDX, you just keep the pass in your pocket and an inspector may ask you for it as the bus is moving. The Deuce is the traditional kind of bus where you swipe the pass with the driver as you board at the front. The SDX has boarding in three locations. It helps speed things up.
     
  8. spoonpower

    spoonpower Guest

    Hi there,

    I am going to Vegas on Nov 3 for 3 days. I am intersted to get an unlimited bus pass for 3 days. I am mainly interested to get a bus that take me along on the strip as well as to the outlet.

    I see there is a bus pass selling $20 for 3 days.
    http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com/strip-downtown-express.php

    I will be staying at Cosmo hotel. Do you know where can I buy that pass?

    Thanks,

    spoonpower
     
  9. spoonpower

    spoonpower Guest

    Thank you very much for your information. I guess I can buy the 3 days pass from the machine that is located in MGM stop or Paris since I will be staying in the Cosmo hotel, so I guess those stops are the closest.

    I would like to know does the 3 days passes start to count at the time I purchse. For example, if I buy the pass at 6:00 pm on Nov 3, does it expire at 6:00 pm on Nov 6? Or it will expire after midnight after Nov 5?

    Thanks,

    spoonpower
     
  10. Jimbo338

    Jimbo338 VIP Whale

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    A pass activated at 6PM on Nov. 3rd would expire on Nov. 6, at 6:00pm.

    Jimbo338
     
  11. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    And remember after you buy it from the machine to activate it there in the machine as well if you are going to ride the SDX. If you have a pass that has not been activated, you may find that you are put off the bus at a stop and asked to activate it.
    Swiping it on the Deuce activates it, but you don't swipe on the SDXm you just board and wait for the inspector.
     
  12. English Dave

    English Dave Low-Roller

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    Hi Dewey!! Just got back from LV this morning. As others have said, we went to the downtown bus station. Asked the clerk about 15 day passes. We were told they were for use on all buses including on the strip. I got my wife a 15 day pass for $17 as she has a photo ID from the bus station - given free of charge a couple of years ago. I had to pay $34 as I'm not 60 till next year. Fantastic value $51 in total for 2 weeks bus use. Lots of inspections of bus passes during the two week stay. No problems at all.
     
  13. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    Thanks for all of that, Dave. I was thinking about you this week, even this morning as I turned the page of the calendar to Fleetwood and those little play sailboats.

    Where did you ride while you were there and where were you checked for the passes and your ID?

    I am thrilled to have achieved the clarity of the bus rules and happy that they are clear and consistent this time around. Gradually it will certainly get more expensive for us tourists, but for now we have an incredible deal if we know where to get it.

    We are off to France next week, a few days in Paris, and then a week on a Viking cruise down the Rhone. I expect it will be a pleasant and comfortable trip. Then we drive to Chicago to see the grandkids and then on to Florida for the winter months. It will be a while before I can fit Vegas into the mix, so I'm living my Vegas vicariously.

    How was the trip? If you post a trip report, give me a heads upm so I don't miss it and I can follow your adventures.

    I do know that I'm going to book the Eastside Cannery for a few days of my next trip, try to get in both Claudia Castro's lounge act late Monday and the free Thursday show at Sam's Town. They give an old folks deal of $10 off rack rake, and now they have free wifi, a coin laundry, a pool and no resort fee. I like the rooms there, but they've made the corner rooms an upgrade for $20 extra dollars so I'll probably not have one of those.

    Of course, I could have a plan that includes Eastside Cannery using just residential passes for the bus and not considering the strip at all, but just moving from downtown on the HDX or BHX or using the 202 or 201 to connect to Flamingo places or to the Orleans before or after stays at Eastside, but somehow knowing I have all access will settle all bus possibillities and frees up my mind to plan without considering where I need to go.

    Hope you won some money. My poker buddy Slink just had the losing hand in a live poker bad beat somewhere in Vegas and it was worth 5 grand.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2012
  14. English Dave

    English Dave Low-Roller

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    Hi Dewey. Glad the calender is still in use! We had a great time in LV as usual. Althiugh we stayed at the Four Queens, we spent a night at Sam's Town - our room window looked directly at the Cannery casino. It looked great at night as the outside of the building changed colours. We spent a few hours playing blackjack in the little locals casino 'Longhorn' across the road from the Cannery.

    We rode the bus all over. Plenty of Inspectors checking bus tickets, especially the tourist routes. More checks than last year. My wife's pass for 15 days use for $17 was a bargain, mine for $34 good also. We visited for two weeks, I suppose not such a bargain for people visiting for a shorter time. But, it doesn't take long to save money when paying the $8 daily rate on the Deuce bus down the strip.

    Enjoy your trip to Europe!!
     
  15. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    I love those changing colorful rectangles in the night. The Eastside Cannery uses rectangular shapes to define much of the design of the property, and you can see it repeated throughout the building, even in the carpets. I'm looking forward to having some time there. Glad you had added a bit of Boulder to the enjoyment of your trip.
     
  16. Discus1952

    Discus1952 Tourist

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    We are coming in in April and staying at Bills Gambling Hall. There is a TVM outside of Paris. We already have our senior IDs. Can I purchase(and validate) the $17./15/day senior passes at this Strip TVM?

    I would rather not travel to the BTC or SSTT to get them if I don't have to.
    Don, in PA
     
  17. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    Sorry, Don. The vendors of the passes are not convenient for tourists as the RTC wants to get full fare from tourists. As well as the BTC and SSTT, you can find vendor's down Flamingo near Maryland. Albertson's is there.
    So for a dollar each you can leave on the 109 from the airport, get off at Maryland, buy your $17 passes with a short walk to a vendor near maryland and Flamingo, and then validate them when you board the 202 heading toward the strip and that will take you to Caesar's for a short walk across the street to Bill's. Then you are set and never need to leave the strip again.

    Also the Walgreen's downtown sells the 15 day passes.
    Or any of these places
    http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare-information/where-to-buy-a-pass-around-town/The best you will get at the TVM outside Paris is a 3 day pass for $20 with no senior discount.
     
  18. Discus1952

    Discus1952 Tourist

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    Dewey...
    Thanks for the prompt, and detailed, reply.
    This gives me a number of options.
    Don
     
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