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Las Vegas Overview
Vegas Here We Come
Where to Stay & Why
Getting Around the City
Attractions & Sightseeing
Entertainment & Shows
Dining in Las Vegas
Shopping
Four Day Walking Tour
Sensible Gambling
Heading Back Home
Appendices
Glossary
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Chapter 4: Getting
around the city
4.3 Cabs are an
option
The taxi cab
industry in Las Vegas is very tightly regulated
by the Nevada Taxi Cab Authority. You can catch
a cab outside the baggage claim area at the
airport ...or at the main entrance of any
hotel. You'll see a line, but it usually moves
very fast. A little known fact is that Las
Vegas cabs are prohibited by law from stopping
for a customer on the street ...even if the cab
is empty! Taxis may only pick up at hotels and
established pickup points. If you are going to
and from points on the strip, it is far cheaper
to take the (No. 301 or 302) strip bus than a
taxi cab.
There are 16 taxicab companies in the Las Vegas
area, each making an average of 2 million trips
a month . Every taxicab company is assigned a
block of numbers for their cabs.
LAS VEGAS CAB
COMPANIES A-Cab Co.-
(702) 365-1900
Ace Cab Co. - (702) 888-4888
A-North Las Vegas Cab
(ANLV) - (702) 888-4888
Checker Cab Co. - (702) 873-8012
Deluxe Cab Co. - (702) 568-7700
Desert Cab Co. - (702) 386-4828
Henderson Taxi - (702)
384-2322 |
Lucky Cab Co. - (702)
477-7555
Nellis Cab Co. - (702) 248-1111
Star Cab Co. - (702) 873-2000
Union Cab Co. - (702) 888-4888
Vegas Western Cab Co., (702)
888-4888
Virgin Valley Cab Co. - (702)
888-4888
Western Cab Co. - (702) 736-8000
Whittlesea Blue Cab Co., (702)
384-6111
Yellow Cab Co. - (702)
873-2000 |
In order to have more cabs
available on the weekend and during peak times,
some cabs are time restricted to Friday to
Sunday ...or Noon to 2 a.m. operation. To cut
down on crimes against cab drivers, cameras are
installed in all taxicabs
Cab fares in Las Vegas
Sixteen taxicab
companies service the Las Vegas valley. When
you enter a taxicab, the driver will start the
taximeter (referred to as the "drop") and an
initial charge of $3.30 will register. If a
taxi ride originates at McCarran International
Airport, an additional airport surcharge of
$1.80 per trip is added to the taximeter.
After the initial "drop", the taximeter will
assess a fare of $2.60 per mile ($.20 for each
1/13th of a mile traveled). If the taximeter
senses that the taxicab is moving less than
8-12 MPH, the taximeter will assess a charge of
$.25 (twenty-five cents) every 30 seconds
($30.00 per hour waiting time). That is why the
taximeter continues to accumulate charges even
when the taxicab is not moving. Once the
taximeter senses that the taxicab is moving at
a speed greater than 8-12 MPH the fare
calculates on the actual distance
traveled
Most Las Vegas strip hotels are two to
five miles from the airport. So using the above
formula, the cab fare (from the airport) should
be between $12.00 and $17.00 ...up to a couple
of bucks more if traffic is slow and "waiting
time" is assessed." Cab fare from the airport
to a downtown hotel is about $5
more.
AS A GENERAL
RULE:
Cab
fares from McCarran
Airport to the South
Strip
Such as to the Mandalay Bay, MGM,
NY-NY hotels . . .
. . . . . . . |
$12 |
Cab
fares from the McCarran
Airport to the Center
Strip Such as to
the Bellagio, Mirage, Paris
hotels . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
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$16 |
Cab
fares from McCarran
Airprt to downtown Such
as to the Golden
Nugget . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . |
$24 |
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Variables as traffic, traffic lights and
pedestrians can add quite a bit to the average
cab fare. Most cabbies are honest, but there
are some that will take the long haul "scenic"
route ...or through the tunnel connecting the
airport to I-15.
If three or more people are traveling together,
it is cheaper to take a cab rather than the
airport shuttle. Nevada law provides that up to
five passengers can ride in a taxicab for the
one price listed on the taximeter. Passengers
cannot be charged individually. Five passengers
are permitted, as long as the driver does not
carry more than two passengers in the front
seat of the taxicab. Las Vegas taxi cabs do not
accept credit/debit cards as payment.
As a taxi rider in Clark County Nevada, you
have the right to dictate the destination and
route used by the driver. Ask the driver to
take the most direct route to your hotel. A
taxi driver may not refuse even a very short
trip. No smoking is allowed. You are entitled
to receive a receipt if requested from the
driver. Unless you wish to give a tip, pay only
the amount displayed on the taximeter. (For
good service, tip a dollar if the fare is under
$10.00, otherwise $2.00.)
Those are the rules. If you have any complaint
or have accidently left something in a
cab, call the Taxicab
Authority at: (702)
486-6532 (staffed 24 hrs.) Their office is
located at: 1785 E. Sahara Avenue, Suite 200,
Las Vegas, NV 89104. They have a staff of
Investigators who respond to public
complaints.
In order for the Taxicab Authority to
investigate a complaint, you must include in
your statement: Your name, date and time of
incident, where it occurred, the cab company
and cab number. It is also helpful to include
the driver’s name and driver’s
Taxicab Authority Permit number if you can get
it.
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Factoid: Six and a
half million people visit Las Vegas for the
first time every year!
Factoid: Sixteen of
the twenty largest hotels in the world are in
Las Vegas.
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