So what’s it like to ride the Las Vegas monorail? I took several rides on it and noticed a number of things both good and bad. This system is paid for and really operates to the benefit of several of the casinos on the famous strip. It operates from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and until 3 a.m. on the weekends (this IS a town that truly doesn’t sleep). My first experience was a bit disappointing. The ride was much bumper than I had expected, though this appeared to be a maintenance issue more than a systemic problem, because subsequent rides were quite smooth.
Entering the monorail station from the streets or the parking lots is a bit foreign to those of us used to the Washington Metro station. These stations are high above the ground and require you to either take the stairs or the elevators. Everything is spotless and shiny. Once on the main level, there is an information desk staffed by a friendly person who points passengers to the big rack of brochures rather than answer questions directly. They’re not rude but, like some of our station managers, aren’t always helpful. The brochures are very slick 60-plus page booklets that contain about three pages of monorail information. The rest of the pages are dedicated to ads, restaurants, show reviews and a few fun facts about the city.
The monorail system uses a fare machine that is somewhat like our old farecard machines. The problem here is that most, if not all, of the people who ride this are from out of town and haven’t seen anything like it before.
That creates long queues when groups of people gather to try and figure out what they need. These tickets are not cheap. A one-way ride will cost you $5, though a $15 all-day pass and a $35 10-ride pass are available. Even still, for those staying at or visiting some of the various “member” casinos, it can be cheaper than taking a cab.
Once on the platform area, I am again struck by how clean the place is; almost sterile. Like the trams that many of us have used at the airports, there are glass doors between the platform and the track that don’t open until the monorail has arrived and the doors have lined up.
Inside the car you are somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of advertising that covers the walls. As noted previously, this IS Vegas and advertising is everywhere.
The two video screens at either end of the car played music videos and product commercials at a low level but even still it didn’t seem like too much. Of course, we weren’t riding this to and from work and didn’t have to deal with it every day.
Questions, comments, random musings? Write to [email protected].
