Updated August 5, 2023
In October 2005, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada launched its "Deuce" buses to service the Strip.
When they went into service, the name "Deuce" signified the two tour decks, the $2 one-way fare (now $4), the two service areas (downtown and the Strip), and fleet numbers starting with 2.
The gold-colored double-deckers cost just under $600,000 each at the time. The original 50 buses were 40 feet long and 14 feet wide. They accommodated up to 97 passengers (53 on the upper level, 27 on the lower level, and up to 17 standing on the lower deck), plus two wheelchair positions (access ramps front and back), and were fully air-conditioned.
The buses proved so popular that the RTC bought 80 more by 2008, replacing the original 50, which now service local routes. The newer double-deckers are roughly the same dimensions (two feet longer), but they have two staircases, one in front and one in back. They're known as the Superdeuces.
The buses run approximately every 12-15 minutes during the day and evening, and every 15-21 minutes in the early-morning hours. Service is 24 hours a day to Mandalay Bay; the buses turn around there between 9 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. In the north, all the buses go to the Bonneville Transportation Center (BTC), a block from Main Street and six blocks from Fremont Street. They stop every quarter mile or so to service every hotel-casino on the Strip at bus stops marked with signs or at bus shelters.
The fare is $4 for a single trip, $6 for a two-hour pass, $8 for a 24-hour pass, or $20 for a 72-hour pass. You can buy tickets onboard, though you must have the exact amount; tickets are also sold at vending machines at selected stops, then swiped at the farebox when boarding.
This is a slow boat, especially during peak hours, due to traffic on the Strip and a lot riders, some of whom take awhile to get on and pay.
The upper deck has a somewhat low ceiling; anyone over six feet tall will have to stoop a little. But the front seat of the upper deck has one of the best views in town, with a wide unobstructed window overlooking everything from 10 feet up.
If you have the time, this is definitely the way to travel up and down the Strip; $8 for the 24-hour pass is major bargain.