RTC says Big Bus Las Vegas should ask for own stops
A private tour bus company wanting to use transit stops on the Strip should petition the city or county for its own stops rather than try to share with RTC buses, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada said Thursday.
Big Bus Tours Las Vegas, a sightseeing company that shuttles tourists in double-decker buses on circular routes on the Strip and in downtown Las Vegas, asked the commission in July for permission to use stops and pullouts on Las Vegas Boulevard currently used for the commission’s busy Deuce lines.
After a heated public hearing in July at which RTC drivers and unions opposed any plan to use the stops, the commission directed staff to research on the issue. Big Bus, meanwhile, returned with a proposal for a pilot program to use the stops on a limited basis.
In a unanimous vote Thursday, the commission didn’t buy in to the pilot program and suggested that Big Bus approach Clark County and the City of Las Vegas with a plan for separate bus stop locations on the Strip.
“Anything that adds to congestion to the Strip is a safety issue,” said Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, a member of the Clark County Commission.
The staff analysis of the proposal listed added congestion as an issue, but also noted the negative impacts of on-time performance for RTC buses, increased dwell times at bus stops, customer confusion, increased maintenance costs, safety concerns and a loss of advertising revenue as a result of more buses blocking views of signs.
Big Bus, the largest operator of open-top sightseeing tours in the world and operating in 16 cities on three continents, carries more than 4 million passengers a year with its 350-bus fleet.
The company hired Silver State Traffic to survey three RTC stops on Las Vegas Boulevard to determine the best way to avoid conflicting with Deuce routes.
Big Bus currently makes stops in several back-of-the-house locations at Strip properties. Las Vegas attorney Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, who represents Big Bus, said the bid to change pickup points would enhance the customer experience. She said critics have referred to the company’s tours as the “Las Vegas Boulevard Dumpster tour” because buses currently are routed to the rear of some properties.
Some commissioners said they were concerned that if Big Bus is allowed to use the RTC’s stops, other transportation companies would follow and create bigger traffic jams on the Strip.
Maxson-Rushton said the commission has the authority to allow companies to use the stops on a case-by-case basis and could evaluate each application on its own merit.
When bus drivers addressed the commission in July’s public hearing, they said it’s common for traffic to get tied up when more than one bus approaches a stop. In some cases, the bus slots aren’t long enough to accommodate more than one vehicle. In other cases, buses remain stationary while passengers are loading and unloading and buses behind them must wait to pull into the designated stop area.
Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.