Soon, bus riders can travel all day for $5

Friday, July 11, 2003 | 8:57 a.m.

Riding the bus all day might never be fun, but for some it will soon be cheaper.

The board of the Regional Transportation Commission, the public agency that administers Las Vegas' Citizens Area Transit bus service, approved a new program that would allow riders to go anywhere on the system in a 24-hour period for $5. Standard fares are now $1.25 for a ride in one direction, or $2 for a fare on the Strip.

RTC Assistant General Manager Curtis Myles said the new passes should be available by the first week of August. The pass system is a trial program, now scheduled to last for about six months, he said.

"If it is successful, we will extend it," Myles said.

The program will be successful if it shows a consistent pattern of growth in the coming months, he said.

Both tourists and residents are target markets for the program, he said. Residents can use the pass to go anywhere in the system, run errands, go to work or shopping in a 24-hour period. Tourists can use the pass to go up and down the Strip as much as they would like on the CAT buses that make regular runs north and south.

The passes should be available soon at the downtown transportation center, on the CAT buses and at other sites where bus passes are sold.