CAT offers free New Year’s rides

Thursday, Dec. 28, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

Get on the bus -- no change, dollar bills or tokens needed.

At least during New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

The Regional Transportation Commission is offering free rides from 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday for bus routes throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Many of the routes also will have extended service hours.

Bruce Woodbury, chairman of the RTC and the Clark County Commission, noted that the RTC provides 150,000 rides each day throughout the year on the Citizens Area Transit bus service.

"The New Year's holiday is a perfect time to provide our support back to the community," Woodbury said. "This is our way of saying 'thank you' to the residents for their year-round patronage."

The free rides are an annual tradition for the RTC, dating to 1992.

During New Year's Eve celebrations, crowds choke the Strip, forcing police to close the roads. The RTC said all existing bus routes will be used for as long as they are accessible.

But some detours are likely inevitable as the crowds gather. Some detours may go into effect earlier than others, depending on traffic conditions, the agency warned.

These CAT bus routes will have schedule or route changes on New Year's Eve:

For updated service information, call the bus system's customer service line at 228-7433.