It was back on October 27, 2005 that the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada first introduced a fleet of double-decker buses to Las Vegas, with service at first limited to the Strip. The gold-colored closed-topped vehicles are 40 feet long and seat 27 people on the lower deck, with 53 more upstairs. When first introduced, a single fare on the Strip was $2; that's now up to $6, or $8 for a 24-hour pass, but the ticket includes access to all the other bus routes in town, too.
In subsequent years, the gold double-deckers have been rolled out to service other busy routes, including: Decatur Boulevard (Route #103); Boulder Highway (Route #107); Eastern Avenue (Route #110); North Las Vegas Boulevard (Route #113); Nellis Boulevard (Route #115); Flamingo Road (Route #202); Sahara Avenue (SX-A & SX-B)(Route #504); and Charleston Boulevard (Route #206). On these local routes, it's $2 for a single fare, $3 for a 2-hour pass, or $5 for 24 hours.
So, that's the story of the Deuce, but there have been other double-decker schemes over the years, some more successful than others. In the same year that the Deuce launched, there was an announcement that a company led not by a Londoner, but a Berliner, would be launching a fleet of authentic red London double-decker buses, offering a hop-on, hop-off service the length of the Strip and regaling passengers with a stream of historical factoids and trivia about the passing sights along the way. Soon after, however, there was a bizarre press event in which a company attorney recounted these earlier statements were incorrect and that it was to be a charter service. Oh, and he also dropped into the conversation the fact that Raimond Capel, the German, was no longer in charge.
This ill-fated scheme was then dealt a literal death blow when, on July 7 of 2005, an actual London bus was blown up as part of a coordinated suicide-bombing campaign that left 52 victims dead and more than 700 injured and definitely put the damper on any thoughts of jolly bus tours on the Strip.
Still, subsequent years have seen a number of other red-bus projects, including at least one that we know still to be in business. the Double Decker Bus Company of Las Vegas launched in 2006 continues to be available for private charter, offering views of the Strip and elsewhere from atop a fleet of vintage open-top London double-decker buses, each of which sits 70 people.
In addition, there's a 75-minute "London Double Decker Bus of the Stars" tour on the Strip, available via various online booking agents from around $38 and up, which offers a 75-minute sightseeing experience on the Strip, featuring performers portraying famous singers, stars, and celebs, sometimes with a free ticket to the Mac King Comedy Show thrown in.
We haven't experienced either of these tours, so we can't recommend or otherwise. Drop us a line if you have, or if you know of any other ongoing double-decker tours that we're missing.
