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The Las Vegas Monorail’s ridership is sinking fast. In December they hit a new record low of roughly 478,000 passengers. The total ridership for 2006 was down about 32 percent from 2005. It seems people are turning away from the monorail in droves.

I think there are two problems with the monorail as it exists today – convenience and cost.

The monorail is not very convenient, to get to the stations, which are behind the casinos, takes a fairly long hike in most cases. The walk from the strip to one of the station is often longer than the walk between two casinos. Add to that the long walk after you get off the monorail and you just spend too much time walking.

The next problem is the cost. At $5.00 a ride it is just too expensive. If you have two people, you are better off taking a taxi. A taxi ride anywhere along the strip will cost about the same, it will be quicker, more pleasant and involve less walking. The monorail, at less than 4 miles long, is tiny compared to other transit systems. The subway in New York City, for example costs only $1.50 per ride. The cost of the monorail is way out of line for what it provides.

In the original plans for the monorail was a line that went to the airport, and it looks like that might finally happen. In December the Clark County government voted to approve the extension. This might one reason for people to start taking the monorail. The ride would be a little longer than the existing line between casinos, and people might be willing to pay $5.00 for it. At peak time the taxi line at McCarran airport can be huge, and the monorail could provide a good alternative. Also, many of the hotel lobbies are in the backs of the casinos, close to the monorail station. The question is, do travelers want to lug their suitcases around the monorail?

It will be a while before it will be seen if this new extension improves things, officials hope to start working on the extension by 2008 and have it finished by 2011. Until then, it would be no suprise to see the ridership keep shrinking.