Limousine / Taxi, Las Vegas

I have never read so much outright spam from Limo people ever on any website as this one.

Are Taxis so much better (they are) that you people have to resort to posting what amounts to lies about Taxi service in Vegas? Including links to Limo companies which ALSO operate the same taxis you are bashing.

Truth is Taxis are the single best transportation option in Las Vegas barenone. They are far from perfect but they are miles better than the next option which is not even a Limo, the Duece Bus is.

Limos are very over-priced. The rides are bumpy and the drivers are usually clueless as to routes or what professional service is. Most rides are illegally obtained by skimming from Cab Lines. Limos do one thing very well, make their owners a boatload of cash. Sitting at the Airport waiting for a ride which was a cab ride is not very professional it is simply a racket.

From the airport to the south end of the Strip it should cost about $10-12. Make sure to tell the cab driver not to go through the tunnel or it will take longer. About $16 for the north end of the Strip, depending upon traffic. Taxis do not take credit card. There are also shuttle vans available that cost about $4 per person between the airport and the Strip or you can go all out and get a limo if you have a big group.

Taxis were cheap and plentiful in Las Vegas, and we never had to wait long to get anywhere (unlike LA where it could be a nightmare). All taxis are metred, and if you still don't trust them you can agree a price with them in advance. We did feel that one guy upped the speed at which his metre was running one night, but it only made a difference of about two dollars and I didn't argue it.

To get from the top of the strip to the bottom, the most you will pay is about 12 dollars. It's just as cheap to the airport.

In fact when we were leaving Las Vegas we decided to treat ourselves and as there was a Lincoln town car outside the hotel for hire, we took that for 32 dollars. Although it was a short trip the luxury was so well worth it.

We had a dinner reservation down the Strip from Caesar's. Emerging from the hotel it seemed that everyone had the same reservation and was waiting for a cab. So, being in fairly good condition we said, "Heck, it's only a little ways, lets walk." Big Mistake!!!
Once you start walking down the Strip, especially if you're in a hurry you must dodge people just strolling along taking in the sights. Criminy, don't they know we have a reservation??? Also, the sidewalks on the Strip tend to weave in and out and around. There are no direct routes. Then it is also wise to know exactly where you are going. We had an address, but the funny thing is very few buildings on the Strip have street numbers on them. So we dodged in and out of hotels asking anyone who looked like they knew where we were (Most looked like they would like to have told us where to go!!). I wonder if they figured out we were from out of town? Come to find out, the restaurant was well hidden inside a hotel. We finally found it and arrived about 40 minutes late, but fortunately everyone waited patiently for us.

When you finally emerge from baggage claim you encounter the taxi rank. And what a rank!!! But actually it is pretty well organized and well run. At first glance we couldn't imagine how long we would be before getting into a cab. I mean the line was LOOOONG!! So we fell into line and to our surprise we hardly stopped moving. The line snaked along, back and forth about five times and within 15 minutes we were up front and directed to Station 6 where a cab pulled up, we piled in and were on our way.
Mrs. B is always sure to engage cabbies in conversation as she thinks you get good information that way. I'm not so sure. Anyway, this driver was from Tennessee, works 12 hour shifts (so he claimed) and liked to talk. By the time we arrived at Caesar's we knew his wife's name, his kids birthdays and his hometown in Tennessee. So we gratefully rewarded him for all that information with a generous tip. See, I told you we were from out of town.

We caught a cab from the airport to the Bellagio on The Strip, to go to an out of town shopping mall, to go to Freemont Street and back to the airport.

We found them all to be friendly, informative and trustworthy. I never felt as though I was about to be ripped off as you can do sometimes in other places.

Don't forget that there are other choices once on The Strip, e.g monorails, trams and even walking.

If you have to get a taxi from the airport which we did and you particularly had a good taxi driver, take his telephone number. We did, the guy was called Roberto, he was so nice, and as my husband had to go back to the airport to work a couple of hours after landing, Roberto came and picked him up. Whenever we wanted a taxi we just called Roberto and he was there.

We can always tell the tourist who have been to NY or are from NY....they are the angry ones on the corner trying to figure out why all the drivers are waving back to them as they drive by. While there are tons of taxis around, unlike NY there are designated pick up locations for the taxis. You can can stand on the corner and wave and whistle all you like, and the taxis will just pass you by. They are not allowed to stop on the street to pick up passengers. Proceed to the nearest hotel cab line and you will be sure to grab one.
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