Buses will run seven days a week to new VA medical center

When the doors open at 7:30 a.m. today for the first patients at the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center in North Las Vegas, vets needing a ride to the $1 billion facility can catch a Downtown and Veterans Medical Center Express bus.

The service offered by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada will operate seven days a week from 5 a.m. to midnight from the downtown Bonneville Transit Center to the medical center at 6900 N. Pecos Road, with a stop at a new park-and-ride location at the Cannery.

The express service, known as “DVX,” also offers fixed-route service to residential areas near Losee Road, north of Craig Road with a few stops on the way to the VA Medical Center on the Las Vegas Valley’s northern outskirts.

The VA Medical Center will open today for limited services, such as those for eye care, the pharmacy and infectious diseases. All facilities are expected to be fully operational by January.

Fares on the DVX service will be the regular residential rate, $2 for a one-way ride. But Southern Nevada residents can try out the DVX for free from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1, with a valid, local identification, according to the RTC.

Transit buses and vehicles on the DVX route will meet requirements of Americans With Disabilities Act for paratransit riders. A more efficient service is being offered through the RTC’s Veterans Medical Transportation Network. For more information, visit rtcsnv.com.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.