Bus Transit Used to Be Profitable on the Las Vegas Strip

"As the use of ride-hailing increases around the Las Vegas Valley, especially along the Strip, bus use in the area continues to fall," reports Mick Akers.

The Regional Transportation Commission used to generate its most revenue in fares from bus routes running along the Las Vegas Strip—not so much anymore. "Bus revenue on the Strip fell 18 percent between October 2015 and December 2018," according to RTC data shared by Akers. According to a source quoted in the article, the RTC used to make $6 million in profit operating buses on what it calls the resort corridor.

Faced with the economic realities of a post ride-hailing world, the RTC is looking to reinvent itself. Included among the plans are a new on-demand micromobility shuttle pilot project.

For more context on transportation planning in Las Vegas, here is a list of previous coverage on the subject from the Planetizen archives.

• New Traffic Management Tech Coming to Downtown Las Vegas (December 2018)
• In Las Vegas, Ridesharing and Transit Complement and Compete (October 2018)
• Brightline, Florida's High-Speed Rail Company, Goes All in on Vegas (September 2018)
• A New Fleet of AVs Operating in Las Vegas (May 2018)
• Elevated Expressway Proposal Goes Bust in Las Vegas(December 2017)
• Las Vegas Light Rail Plans Take a Big Step Forward (March 2017)
• RTC Bike Share Shows Las Vegas' Bike-Friendly Side (October 2016)
• Vanishing Act for Free Parking on the Las Vegas Strip (January 2016)
• Could the Las Vegas Strip Go Multi-Modal?(August 2014)