The cabbie should take the airport exit to Swenson Avenue, then Swenson to Paradise. He should remain on Paradise all the way to Main Street (from just north of Stratosphere to downtown). This info was provided by the Nevada Taxicab Authority dispatch, which can be reached at 702/486-6532, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The fare should run in the $16-20 range. That info was provided by a great little Web site, http://lasvegastaxi.com/taxitips.html, which provides "Las Vegas taxi tips so you don't get screwed!"
Here, you'll find interesting commentary from a taxcab driver's point of view: why fares from the airport to typical destinations around town are almost always more expensive than fares to the airport from the same destination; how to avoid getting "long-hauled," how much extra it costs to take the tunnel from the airport than surface streets; the shim trick that cabbies use to jimmy older meters; how to avoid getting suckered for non-existent "zone charges," etc.
The site is most useful for its chart of typical cab fares around Las Vegas.
