The Las Vegas Monrail

[Steve]

LAS VEGAS MONORAIL: 2006 a ridership train wreck.

Well I can't say I'm not surprised by this. What do you expect when you raise the price of something by $2.00 that was not selling when it was a lower price of $3.00?

IMO, this was possibly the worst move in Las Vegas history except for closing of The Brown Derby Brunch :D For which I am still in mourning for.

The only people that are happy with the monorail prices are the cab drivers. What they did by raising the prices is to send business back to the cabs drivers that they took business away when the monorail fare was $3.00....now it's $5.00.

It is now cheaper for a group of 3 people or more to take a cab ride to any place that is serviced via the monorail. Ok so you have to tip the cab driver a few bucks but that's no big deal.

Let's face it, cabs are more accessible than the monorail and in most cases, more comfortable.

The monorail still might be a bargain for 2 people buying at RT ticket ($9.00 per person) but you still must take into consideration the gambling time you lose while walking those endless hallways and going up and down the escalators. :D

I personally use the monorail when I am there as a single person as it does benefit my needs and to be honest I do enjoy it.

Steve

[PinkFloydActuary]

I thought this was a brilliant concept. We rode the MGM/Ballys one all the time, and an extended, strip-long monorail just seemed like can't miss. I was hoping it would be a success, because added lines from McCarran and Downtown would have really been nice. I've had miserable experiences with the buses, and the cab fares add up. As I get older, the body is less entusiastic about walking 10 miles a day - maybe I have to start renting a car...

[GREGRIO]

I tried it for the experience and it worked well for my objective.
I wanted to check out the LVHilton after they'd finished their
remodeling...I was at the RIO.

I took a cab to the Flamingo and caught the Monorail from there.
The ride was great. Smooth enough, price was right, very few folks
on it, and quick. I came back the same way.

Another time I rode it from The Wynn back to Harrah's. Wynn build his
own private little road to the Convention Center...that's where you'd catch
the Monorail via his private shuttle that gets you there...quite convenient.

Will I use it in the future?...probably not. There are exceptions. If I was
leaving the LVHilton or Wynn and wanted to go back to the Strip...maybe, but if I was heading home to the RIO, I'd cab it.

[iam4nd]

We still use it a lot and enjoy it. But we've also been staying at both the Las Vegas Hilton and the Sahara for the last several years, so it has been rather convenient for us. The walk to and from the stations doesn't bother us at all, as we enjoy walking for exercise at home. As far as the price, we feel with the ten-ride ticket we still save money when going round trip ($14 for two) from home base to center or south strip. Some of our cab rides in heavy traffic have been more than that with tip for just one way.

[Chump and BG]

Perhaps the gravest crisis that the Vegas Strip faces is the traffic gridlock condition which exists on the Strip each evening. The weekend traffic has literally become a major public safety issue. Emergency medical, fire, police and swat teams will never reach the scene of an ongoing tragedy in time. As for the tourists stuck on it, it is no way to spend a vacation. A properly placed though unsightly monorail could have been the salvation for everyone. The one which was constructed was a compromise a thousand times over and is of little utility to anyone except those staying on the far ends of the east side of the Strip. It is a complete boondoggle for all the money invested in it. The few who would utilize it to travel to the struggling downtown area or drag luggage up and across the Strip to travel to the airport would make further investment in it an even greater fiasco. It is time to pull the plug on this nonsense and get serious about a real solution. Now, let me tell you how I really feel about it! LOL

[livinthedream]

I have been buying the 24 hour ticket.Better deal than paying each way

[misterKeno]

I (still) say .. it depends what station you board and get off at... the walk is insane.

Why didnt they just put in a moving sidewalk along the strip?

matthew

[ChicChas]

I use it several times each trip. I combine monorail with Deuce bus and taxi cabs. If I'm with someone who has a car, I occassionally get a ride.

I think a lot of people are simply not used to travelling around using mass trasit. For me, living in Chicago, it's become second nature as I haven't owned a car in 20+ years.

I would very much welcome an extension to the airport and would use it. I'd probably go downtown more often, too, if that extension were built.

[Turnip579]

When I first heard that there was going to be a monorail, I was thrilled. When I arrived and saw that they pu it BEHIND the hotels, my heart sank. Who in their right mind would do something like that.
I never even made an attempt at finding a loading station as I didn't want to walk a mile thru a casino to ride 2 miles. What a bummer that they took a good idea and flushed it.

[weavme]

like others, when i first heard about the monorail, i was excited. but after using it a few times i have concluded it isn't really worth the trouble.

i agree that if you are staying at the hilton, or sahara, it is pretty good for you. but for the casual user it isn't really practical.

why on earth didn't they build it down the center of the strip?

if i were king, i would close the strip to all but buses, and taxis. would have built the monorail down the center, probably good thing i am not king as i would more than likely have completely closed the strip to all traffic, and made it a huge pedestrian mall, with lots of shops and bars and even more gambling...lol

weave

[King of Kurtopia]

if i were king, i would close the strip to all but buses, and taxis. would have built the monorail down the center, probably good thing i am not king as i would more than likely have completely closed the strip to all traffic, and made it a huge pedestrian mall, with lots of shops and bars and even more gambling...lol

weave

I AM the king! Unfortunately I am only the King of my own empire called Kurtopia. However, if I were the King of Las Vegas, I'd do the same as you suggested. :)

Kurt

[Sandypaws]

IMHO if they want to increase customers, then charge the same price for locals and tourists.:mad: I can get an all day pass on CAT or the trolley for about the same as one trip on the monorail.

[Allycat6]

We used it in Nov, Flamingo to LV Hilton and it was great. I really think ridership would increase if the price was more reasonable.

[Pimp_N_M]

I like weaveme's idea. Only public transportation, taxis, and emergency vehicles allowed on the strip. Everyone else has to use Paradise and Flamingo. Totally genius.

[BrunoThePug]

I used it a while back when I was staying at TI and wanted to get to MGM. I'll probably try the "Duece" next time and see how that goes.

[PatSprouseYo]

I am a huge proponent for rental cars in Vegas (and use Paradise opposed to the strip)...but if you don't want to rent, I think the monorail is great for strip only excursions, and may be even more convenient if they finally extend it to freemont.

The only real problem is the walk from the casino to the station, but beyond that, its far and away more comfortable, and faster than the stupid bus/trolley system that apparently is winning out.

[magicfish]

IMHO if they want to increase customers, then charge the same price for locals and tourists.:mad: I can get an all day pass on CAT or the trolley for about the same as one trip on the monorail.


Sandypaws is right - I have stopped using the Monorail because I resent the price differential. It would still be a good choice when I stay at the LV Hilton, however. I have to agree that the problem is the actual route - too far from numerous casinos - and West side of the strip - forgettaboutit!

I hate the new Deuce bus - too touristy, too slow - give me back the old bus route that ran/up down the strip. One was a great express route (with limited no. of stops) - that one was pretty quick.

As for closing the Strip, if you think traffic is bad now, just try it with all traffic routed to the side streets! Anybody who knows their way around uses the side routes, rather than driving down the Strip already. I usually drive down the Strip once per visit, just to get my fix - other than that, I avoid it like the plague! :D

Our next problem is surely the new rental car facility - if it's too badly run, I'll stop renting a car and seek other transportation methods - I can't be the only one!

[MHIROTSU]

I think everyone has great ideas regarding the monorail. As I understood the problem with the monorail being run down the middle of the Strip is that it would block the view to the hotels because it has to be elevated above street level. If you block off the Strip to all cars (a great idea) and let people roam on what is now the street, then you'll still have to run the monorail above street level otherwise the monorail will be running over people. If you block off the Strip except for public transportation (another good idea), you should be able to run the monorail at ground level because you should be able to take out the middle lanes of the road (less cars, less lanes, right?), thus removing the issue of blocking the view. But, as stated in another post, that might cause a traffic jam on the side streets (out of the frying pan into the fire). One possibility is that by removing the cars from the Strip, maybe many of the cars won't be on the road in the first place (for instance, they'll go directly to the freeway rather than cruise the Stip to get to wherever they are going).

I think the best way is to put the monorail underground, down the middle of the Strip. The problem is that the people riding the monorail won't get the view. Someone has to take the hit, and I think it has to be the people riding the monorail. Plus, they don't get a very good view from the track they are presently on.

As a side question, why don't they build sufficient walkways over the Stip for pedestrians? It should be illegal for pedestrians to cross the Strip except for using these walkways. I'd park an officer on each corner to enforce this restriction. But this rule requires sufficent walkways.

Mike