Buses’ wheels go round and round

From a few blocks away, riders see Transit Bus 108 coming around the corner on Swenson Street causing them to gather their belongings and stand in anticipation of escaping the 100-plus degree heat.

“I thank the dear Lord I’m not walking in this heat,” says one passenger.

The doors open.

It’s time to ride.

People step on one at a time embracing the air conditioning, which gives a subtle blast as it slightly cools their sun-worn and at times red faces where beads of sweat materialized in the five- to 10-minute wait.

The gatekeeper of their transit — a bus driver who greets each passenger with either a warm smile or a stoic stare, depending on the day and time — watches to make sure each person pays his or her dues.

Swipe.

The machine pings. Another transaction is accepted.

Some daytime riders, devoid of a pass, dig into their pockets searching for change to feed the meter.

A quarter here. A dollar there.

Some scrape together whatever they can find, flicking off pocket lint and pieces of paper from their coins, to obtain a ride.

In 2013, an estimated 60 million people traveled on the bus system through the Regional Transportation Commission — it’s the nation’s 17th busiest transit system.

Fares range from $2 for a single ride to a 30-day pass at $65, but the stories people might hear from traveling on a Las Vegas bus can be priceless.

Gloria Jones, a Las Vegas resident since 2000, started taking the bus in 2009 after a medical diagnosis required her to stop driving.

“The bus system was very easy to master,” she says.

Holding a newspaper in the left hand and her e-cigarette in the right, Jones glides her right index finger over each word of the article she is reading.

Sitting in the back of RTC Transit Bus 108 heading southbound on Paradise Road, her reading selection not only helps the time go by but also offers a sense of protection from unwanted conversations.

“I’ve had people come over to me and try to talk to me,” she says. “I’ve had people follow me when I get off the bus. So, I just stick my head in the paper.”

Though she is polite and friendly, she doesn’t want to engage in some of the crazier behavior she has seen, like the time she saw two women fighting over a seat.

“They were cursing back and forth,” she says, shaking her head in disapproval.

It’s a Wednesday afternoon and she is leaving the Bonneville Transit Center to go to her mailbox at the post office.

“I was visiting a friend at the hospital today,” she says.

Jones usually rides the bus five times a week going anywhere from church, which she says is a quick bus ride down the street, to running errands across town.

“Sometimes, I hop on just to enjoy the ride,” she says. “I have been all over town.”

Jones scored a premium spot in the back right-hand corner.

As they board, other riders also plot which seat is the best choice for their journey.

From there, they do anything from read and play games on their phones to people watch inside and outside the bus.

“It’s better than television,” one woman says.

On another route, traveling on the 202 eastbound on Flamingo Road, Josh Johnston has methodically chosen his seat on The Deuce — upstairs and second seat from the front row.

He is among other longtime travelers.

“Everyone is really friendly,” he says. “If you take the same routes enough, you start recognizing the faces.”

Even on his day off, Johnston is using the bus.

“I’m going to the Strip,” he says. “It’s my day off, and I can go wherever I want.”

Taking the bus isn’t just his transportation, it has allowed him to sightsee and learn the city. He arrived in Las Vegas from Detroit about six months ago.

“At least here, the buses are on time,” he says.

Not every bus ride is simple and straightforward.

“I’ve seen some crazy things,” he says. “Once, a guy was naked. I was looking and saw thigh and realized he wasn’t wearing pants.”

His story prompts laughter from nearby passengers.

“I’ve never seen that,” says one who has been using the RTC transit 14 years.

Through the day, some riders dip in and out of consciousness. Their heads bob up and down or side to side as they drift away from the bus’s chatter.

But not Tyler Hurd.

He sits at the front of The Deuce traveling westbound on Flamingo Road.

“I sit up here so I can see my bike,” he says. “It’s never been stolen (off the bus rack), but I don’t trust anyone.”

Hurd says he tries to be hypervigilant about his surroundings, so he doesn’t make much small talk with other riders.

“I like to be aware of what’s going on,” he says. “I don’t listen to music or anything.”

He is headed to the probation office.

“Usually, I bike everywhere,” he says. “It was too far across town to take my bike. Usually when I get lazy, I’ll ride the bus.”

As the bus moves along, Hurd lunges left to press the stop button.

“Please stand clear,” an automated voice says over the intercom.

Hurd unhinges his bicycle from the front of the bus, hops on and rides away to the rest of his journey.

The bus continues along the route, then stops and repeats the process every few minutes, adding and subtracting new people.

After a stop, people pour out either to finish their travels by foot or make their way to the next stop for a transfer.

One man darts out in front of traffic to make sure he is there when the bus arrives at his stop.

Sitting in the shade of one of the bus stops on Flamingo Road ready for the 202 eastbound, Mark Harrig has been waiting for about 10 minutes.

Although the bus has been his only mode of transportation for the two years he has lived in Las Vegas, it serves other purposes.

“Sometimes I am able to do paperwork while I wait,” he says. “Or when I go get my mail, I can sort through it on my commute.”

But Harrig says he also uses the ride to clear his mind from time to time.

“I just sit and ride,” he says. “I can escape from whatever is going on inside.”

It’s not just other commuters people might encounter on the bus.

Back on Swenson Street, heading northbound, two security officers lean against the railing as the bus travels along the stops.

“Working hard today or hardly working,” one passenger says with a smile as he squeezes by on the way to his seat.

“Hardly working,” the officer replies with a grin.

RTC Assistant General Manager MJ Maynard says the RTC contracts out its security service.

Officers, who aren’t present on every bus, patrol throughout the valley switching on and off routes.

She says the RTC recently approved an additional $3 million to add more security.

Maynard isn’t a stranger to the bus system either. Regularly, she says she goes out to partake firsthand.

“We try to talk the talk and walk the walk,” she says. “So I try to go undercover and ride, kind of like a secret shopper.”

A few months ago, she says she rode while in a wheelchair to see how accessible the bus was.

“We had feedback from our customers who said they didn’t feel secure,” she says. “I really wanted to understand what things were like from their perspective.”

Whether it’s adding signs and advertisements or adjusting issues on the bus, Maynard says the RTC relies on its customers’ feedback.

“Three years ago, we decided to take our public feedback to a new level,” Maynard says.

Instead of assuming what the customers want, they decided to interact directly with people.

“We do a formal survey every year,” she says. “If we make a change, we also try to go out and get people’s opinions by doing informal surveys. We have become more efficient from our feedback.”

Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.