A Guide to Riding the Arrow in Las Vegas

At one time, trolley service was an option for visitors to Las Vegas' Strip area. However, in recent times, the trolley system has been replaced by Vegas.com's Arrow Bus Service. The Arrow, although at first glance just looks like some kind of mobile advertisement, follows the same three routes around the Strip that the trolley used to. The first one runs from downtown to the North Strip where you can board for the Strip route at Fashion Show Mall. The second route leaves the mall and travels to Mandalay Bay. From Mandalay Bay you can catch the third route - the South Loop, which travels from Mandalay Bay to South Point. The service does end at midnight so if you're planning to be out later than that, you're going to have to look for an alternate method of transportation.

The first route, called the Downtown Loop, includes stops at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Freemont area, Circus Circus, the Riviera, Stratosphere, World Market - among others. It operates every thirty minutes, traffic permitting, from 8:30am until midnight.

The second route, called the Strip Loop, includes stops at Bally's, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Tropicana, MGM Grand - among others. It operates every twenty minutes, traffic permitting, from 8:30am until midnight.

The third route, called the South Loop, includes stops at Oasis RV Park, Cancun, Las Vegas Outlet - among others. It operates every twenty minutes, traffic permitting, from 8:30am until midnight.

The fare is $2.50 per ride, each way. Exact fare is required as no change will be given. Riders can opt to purchase a boarding pass that allows them to ride all routes of The Arrow all day long for around $10. These passes can be purchased at the concierge area of one of the many Strip hotels - including, but not limited to Monte Carlo, Bally's, Flamingo, New York-New York, Harrahs, and The Palms. Included in the purchase price of the all day boarding pass is an all day boarding pass for the monorail. The monorail's route extends from the Sahara to the MGM Grand. So it's two boarding passes for the price of one, in case you find that The Arrow doesn't meet your traveling needs. If you'd rather just stick with The Arrow, the all day pass is good for unlimited rides from 8:30am until 5pm and costs $4.25. There's also a night pass available, for the same price, from 5pm until midnight.

While being ferried from Point A to Point B, riders can take advantage of the down time to utilize the touch-screen stations aboard The Arrow to make reservations at area restaurants or to purchases tickets to shows and clubs along the Strip.

The Arrow is a service of Vegas.com. For more information or to purchase passes, logon to their website at www.vegas.com .