Fares to ride the Las Vegas Monorail have recently gone up or down, depending on who you are. As of Sunday locals pay $1 for a one-way fare. But tourists now pay $5 for a one-way ride, up from $3.
Monorail board members approved the new rate structure in mid-December in an effort to meet bond requirements.
"It was pretty clear that unless something dramatic were to occur we were going to have to raise rates to get there," said Las Vegas Monorail President Curtis Myles.
Myles said board members also were hoping the rate increase would boost profits enough to prove to lenders that it is worth extending the monorail track. They have their eye on extending Monorail lines to the west side of the Strip and to McCarran Airport.
But first the privately-built and owned system has to prove it can break even.
The rate structure and a collection of other ideas and promotions should make that a reality if all goes according to the plan of monorail executives. Myles said he and his staff are working to integrate monorail passes into the price of room rentals at Strip hotels and other ways to make ticket purchasing easier, like a system for e-mailing tickets.
It may seem like a contradiction for the system to support a lower locals' price while struggling to meet financial requirements, but locals do not make up much of the monorail ridership. Myles said 90-95 percent of monorail customers are tourists. If the lower price brings in more locals that would be great, Myles said, but the rate was put in place as more of a thank you to locals for their support as the system grows.
Only time will tell if the increased price for tourists will lead to a decrease or increase in profits.
Tourists riding the monorail on Dec. 21 did not seem very keen on the change to $5 per ride.
"We thought the $3 from the MGM to the Hilton was a little expensive," said Gwen Outland of Michigan.
Neil Laughy, a resident from Oklahoma, said $5 is too much. He said he would look at other options next trip if that were the price.
But Myles was optimistic about the future of the system.
"This is where the future of transit is going to go," he said.
Monorail tickets may be purchased at the Downtown Transportation Center, located at 300 N. Casino Center Blvd.; the South Strip Transfer Terminal, located at 6675 Gillespie Street; and at the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada's offices at 600 Grand Central Parkway. Residents may purchase up to four single-ride tickets per person per day. To obtain the tickets, residents must show a local or state government-issued identification card, a sheriff's card or a Nevada driver's license.
Also part of the new fare structure is a one-day (24-hour unlimited) pass for $15. A 10-ride pass is now $35. A two-ride fare is $9.
The Las Vegas Monorail connects eight major resorts. The four-mile route stops at MGM Grand; Bally's/Paris; Flamingo/Caesars Palace; Harrah's/Imperial Palace; Las Vegas Convention Center; Las Vegas Hilton; and the Sahara.
The monorail operates daily from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. For more information, call 699-8200 or visit www.lvmonorail.com.
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