Get on the bus: How Las Vegas transit compares to other cities

Las Vegans sometimes lament the city's lack of world-class mass-transit offerings. Yes, the Regional Transportation Commission has spent millions in the past few years buying shiny buses and offering express routes.

Still, residents and tourists often ask: Where's our light rail and commuter trains?

Many locals would say the monorail doesn’t count, and the idea of a possible high-speed rail line to Victorville, Calif., doesn’t excite them either.

So how does Las Vegas' current transit offerings compare with other cities our size? It turns out it's not so bad, at least based on passenger numbers.

And no, it isn't just tourists on the Strip: The commission says less than a quarter of its systemwide passengers are tourists.

Plus, McCarran International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, serving more than 39 million passengers last year, more than any airport in similar cities except Denver.

Here’s a look at how Las Vegas and the 10 closest-sized cities compare in transportation use, based on the most recent data available from the National Transit Database and from individual airports:

The Nashville region has two bus operators, which provided a combined 10,259,654 bus trips, far less than Las Vegas' 66 million. The Regional Transportation Authority also provided 23,114 trips on its Music City Star commuter rail line, less than the 5 million monorail passengers here. The Nashville International Airport served 8,961,164 passengers, while McCarran had 39.8 million.

If you want Las Vegas to look good, don't compare it with Denver. Colorado residents are known for being active: walking, biking and apparently using mass transit. The Denver Regional Transportation District provided 77,222,047 bus trips — 11 million more than Las Vegas — and 19,759,388 light rail trips — compared with the monorail's 5 million. Denver International Airport is the fifth busiest in the nation, with 52,211,242 passengers, while McCarran is the eighth busiest in the nation, with 39.8 million.

Here's a city that puts Las Vegas' transit numbers in a good light: Louisville's Transit Authority of River City provided 15,520,760 bus trips for the year — less than a quarter of Las Vegas' trip count. The Louisville International Airport served 3,349,162 passengers while McCarran had 39.8 million, but Louisville is a major cargo hub, unlike McCarran.

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