Taking the WAX from airport

My wife and I are experienced LV goers and have used the bus system fairly often. Generally we arrive later evening from the east coast and just hop in a shuttle.
This trip we will be flying from Reno and getting in early so we want to take the WAX downtown. 2 questions:
1. Where EXACTLY do we get the WAX bus? Flying from Reno on Southwest. We are very familiar with "ground zero" and the pickup area for the casino and car rental shuttles but never noticed any bus stop.
2. Am I correct in assuming we will be able to buy 72-hour bus passes at a ticket machine and/or from the driver? We will of course have exact change and credit/debit cards.

 

You catch the WAX on ground zero. As you walk out the doors, veer right and you will see two benches. That is where all the buses, including the WAX pick up and drop off. I don't know about buying tickets at ground zero, but if you are heading downtown, there is a dispenser right outside of Binion's, on the east side. The WAX takes cash.

 

There is a dispenser right there at the bus stop at terminal one ground zero. I do believe you can buy 72 hour passes at this dispenser. The bus comes from terminal 3 first and takes a couple of minutes to get to terminal 1. Depending on the time of day you are arriving will depend on how long it takes you to get downtown. We just did this last Friday. We got in about 7:30am (on SouthWest), caught the 8:18am WAX, actually arriving at terminal 1 about 8:24, and we were downtown just before 9am. Lots of traffic that time of day. The stop we got off at was right by the Walgreens downtown. Hope this helps!

 

As you exit the doors on level zero look to the right, you will see a large sign that says "the bus stops here", as others have said there is a small awning with benches to wait, you dont have to buy a pass from the machine if you dont want to, you can pay $2 each in cash or coin as you board.($1 if you're old)

 

The advice here is correct.

You will also see another bus but dont tale it. It goes "downtown" but just as far as the transfer station which means you would have to figure out another bus to get the fremont street. If you ask that bus driver if that bus goes downtown, he will say yeas as they transfer station is considered downtown.

Also other people on bus stops for some odd reason in vegas seem to always give bum information so dont trust it. I asked a guy if a certain bus went to fremont street and he told me yes and said he was going there too. I started to get on and he sat back down on the bench, wait a minute now, why didnt he get on? it was because that bus didnt go downtown. Have had this happen a few times and every time, the info is wrong.

The instructions here are correct.

WAX bus.

 

In my opinion, the WAX bus is a hidden gem!!
$2 gets you to Walgreens.
Sure beats being long-hauled in a taxi or waiting on a shuttle.
Plus, some have the idea the bus is full of low lifes. Totally wrong! Everyone I have seen is another traveler or just people going to/from work.
It's a great deal, don't let anyone talk you out of using the WAX!!

 

C0usineddie is correct! There is another bus that goes downtown but it takes Maryland Prkwy past UNLV and will take you about an hour. Just ask the driver if this is the WAX, is he taking the freeway? If he says yes, this is the correct bus. There are other threads on this forum about the WAX that you may want to refer to.

 

Lets not confuse the guy too much, the bus's are labeled(109/108/wax/sdx), I think the one that go's by UNLV is the 108, and it doesn't take an hour, maybe an extra 10-15 min. (it does drop you at the bonneville transit center though.

 

Level Zero? I had trouble with that. So here it goes:
From baggage claim take the escalator DOWN. At the bottom of the escalator you will walk in the direction of about 2:00...diagonally to your right. The WAX ticket machine is all the way at the end right where you pick up the bus. Exit 4th and Carson Street, Downtown.
Stu

 

I just got back and took the WAX from and to McCarran, as well as the Duece a couple of times. I agree the WAX is a hidden gem, but there were plenty of low lifes on there. It's fine for me when I'm solo, but I wouldn't subject my wife to that.

 

I would forget the 72 hour pass because the ticket machine at the Mccarran WAX stop is always broken; just climb on and pay the driver two bucks. As far as less savory characters the WAX is one of the few places in Vegas where I haven't been asked for a dollar. I guess if you made it to the airport and onto the bus you must have had a dollar at some point. Usually departs the airport nearly empty and most of the people who board on Tropicana seem to be heading towards jobs or connections downtown.

 

I normally get there at about 1:30pm or so. It's almost always nearly empty when I get on it. And, takes me about 25-30 min to get downtown. All for $2.
I'd just ignore the ticket machine. It's just a lot easier to pay the $2 when getting on.
Just pay attention to the sign on the bus, and make sure it has WAX north. There is another bus that heads downtown (108 I think?) but it takes a long way around. About 45+min from what I've heard.
It drops you off about a 1/2 block from the Walgreens.
Here's a schedule for the times... http://www.rtcsnv.com/wp-content/uploads/routes/2014/09/WAX.pdf

I've used it 6+ times going from the airport, and I've enjoyed it. Don't have to worry about long hauling, have more leg room, get to watch everything outside. And, it lets me run by Walgreens for drinks/snacks before I check in so I can go right down to the casino.

 

I need help from the experts of this board. Does WAX bus have more than one stop in downtown (other than the Walgreens)? If so, what is the nearest stop for going to the California Hotel & Casino? Many thanks in advance for your advice.

 

Yes, there is another stop after Walgreens (aka 4th @ Carson) that may get you only slightly closer to The Cal. The stop is 4th @ Stewart. It is the very next WAX stop after the Walgreens stop.

According to Google Maps, walking from 4th @ Carson to The Cal (12 E Ogden Ave) is 0.4 miles and takes 8 minutes. Walking from 4th @ Stewart to The Cal is 0.3 miles and takes 7 minutes.
So, you will have one less minute in walk time from 4th @ Stewart, but it'll probably take the WAX bus a minute to get to 4th @ Stewart from 4th @ Carson.

 

Yeah, what Jim said. And, depending if it hits that light it might take more than just a min to get to that next stop. Hey, you're finally in Vegas...get out, and enjoy.

 

"The walk" from 4th@Carson was an initial concern of mine...until the first time I used the WAX. I was staying at the Plaza, so my walk was comparable to staying at the Cal...It's not bad at all... on hot days, use the casinos... I've cut through the D, 4-Queens & the Nugget en-route to Golden Gate... piece of cake (and air-conditioned). You can avoid (mostly) the canopy area by doing this...and a person walking through a casino with a bag in-tow is common enough that nobody even notices.
Saving a $40 cab fare? Priceless.

 

Little leary taking WAX and walking to Cal with luggage. But I guess it is no further than getting out of the airport with luggage. Also, not on their brochure/flyer, but SDX has stop for Cal at Main and Ogden and for drop off at 1st and Ogden, easy to get to/from strip if staying at Cal/MSS