Bettie: LV Monorail slowly dying

[Bettie]

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the LV Monorail's ridership for January was embarrassingly, record-breakingly low (gee, think it has anything to do with the fare increase?). Not only that, it's bonds are now solidly in the "junk" rating, making it near impossible for them to sell any in order to find some source of revenue! When they were low on funds and decided to raise fares to make up for it, that was the stupidest of all stupid ideas. They should have knocked the fare DOWN a dollar! Did no one do the math and realize that, once you have 3 people in your party, a cab is cheaper for that length of Strip? Even 2 people is just about the same cost and you don't end up in casino Siberia trying to find your way to the games!

For a slightly less opinionated article, click below.

Bettie

Monorail rating, ridership go down

[AutomaticMonkey]

For the monorail to work, it would have had to have gone at the very least from the airport to the Strip, and then Downtown. Just going up and down the Strip? Most people would rather walk and enjoy the sights. Serving the airport would reduce traffic and the ripoff shuttles and taxis (which is probably the reason they didn't do it) and you could probably get the Downtown properties to chip in significantly for that part of the link to take visitors away from the Strip (which is probably the reason they didn't do it).

Right now they say they are studying an airport link. Translation: "We're not going to do it, we're figuring out the right way to tell you so nobody has to take a hit for this failure."

It just took a little bit of greed and stupidity to turn what should have been a great thing into something worthless.

[litcrit]

I agree. They should have *started* downtown and run it out to Flamingo *first*. duh.

[ES]

It's faster than a bus and cheaper than a cab. I'd like to see it extended to the airport and downtown.

[ACE HOLE !!!]

[Greasy John]

> It gives me great pleasure to announce that the LV
> Monorail's ridership for January was embarrassingly,
> record-breakingly low (gee, think it has anything to
> do with the fare increase?). Not only that, it's bonds
> are now solidly in the "junk" rating, making
> it near impossible for them to sell any in order to
> find some source of revenue! When they were low on
> funds and decided to raise fares to make up for it,
> that was the stupidest of all stupid ideas. They
> should have knocked the fare DOWN a dollar! Did no one
> do the math and realize that, once you have 3 people
> in your party, a cab is cheaper for that length of
> Strip? Even 2 people is just about the same cost and
> you don't end up in casino Siberia trying to find your
> way to the games!

> For a slightly less opinionated article, click below.

> Bettie

and that was back around Dec. of '04 I believe. It was free during a period after which it had been closed for repairs. I saved a nice brochure to remember the experience. Rode it from Harrah's going to Sahara then to the southern end and back to Harrah's. If you were a pedestrian on the Strip and you had a mile or less to walk, just walk.

Greasy John