Taking in the sights of Las Vegas, I decided I would try out the Las Vegas Monorail. I first noticed how sleek and modern it is. It travels above street level and provides some great views of Las Vegas.
Initially, the monorail was a private, not-for-profit system. It was later purchased by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA) during the pandemic and is now a publicly owned system.
Ingrid Reisman, the Vice President of Marketing for the LVCA, said the system is unique. “It does not receive any federal funding and pays all the cost of operations and maintenance through fares and advertising,” said Reisman.
I caught the monorail at the Sahara Hotel station. I walked to the monorail entrance from the hotel, took an escalator, and then walked across a bridge to the station.
Dodging heavy Las Vegas traffic wasn’t a problem because the stations are above the street.
Once you’re at the station, you can purchase a fare. Monorail tickets are valid for a year from the date they are printed. A one-way trip is $5.
You’ll then walk another short distance and place the fare in a station fare gate that opens and allows passage.
Next, you’ll stand on a platform and await your train. The trains arrive every four to eight minutes and operate from 7 a.m. to various times overnight, depending on the day.
When boarding the monorail, I noticed how clean it was. The Las Vegas Monorail website said the system has high cleaning and sanitation standards with staff dedicated to maintaining every station and train car.
There are seven monorail stations, including various Strip hotels and the convention center.
Another plus is that the trains are electric, meaning nearly zero emissions.
What impressed me most about the monorail was the ease of purchasing fares, the cleanliness of the stations, and how cool the monorail looked.
For a city used to hitting it out of the park, the Las Vegas Monorail, in my view, is a home run.
