TRAVEL TIPS
Taxi Travel
Cabs aren't allowed to pick up passengers on the street, so you can't hail a cab New York–style. You have to wait in a hotel taxi line or call a cab company. If you dine at a restaurant off the Strip, the restaurant will call a cab to take you home.
Fares
The fare is $3.30 on the meter when you get in and 20¢ for every 1/13th mile (there's also a $30 per-hour charge for waiting). Taxis are limited by law to carrying a maximum of four passengers, and there's no additional charge per person. No fees are assessed for luggage, but taxis leaving the airport are allowed to add an airport surcharge of $2.
The trip from the airport to most hotels on the south end of the Strip should cost about $13 to $16, to the north end of the Strip about $16 to $27, and to Downtown about $22 to $26.
Tipping
Drivers should be tipped around 15% to 18% for good service (see Tipping in Essentials). Some drivers can’t accept credit cards (and those who do usually add a surcharge); all drivers carry only nominal change with them.
Suggested Routes
Be sure to specify to your driver that you don’t want to take Interstate 15 or the airport tunnel on your way to or from the airport. This is always the longer route distance-wise, which means it's the most expensive, but it can sometimes save you 5 to 10 minutes on the trip if traffic is heavy on the Strip. Drivers who take passengers through the airport tunnel without asking are committing an illegal practice known as "long-hauling." You have every right to ask your driver about the routes he or she is using; don't be afraid to speak up. If you have trouble with your cabdriver, be sure to get his or her name and license number and call the Taxicab Authority to report the incident.
Contact
Taxicab Authority. 702/668–4000; www.taxi.nv.gov.
Taxi Companies
Desert Cab. 702/386–9102; www.desertcabinc.com.
Whittlesea Blue Cab. 702/384–6111.
Yellow Checker Star. 702/873–2000; www.ycstrans.com.
