LV Monorail ridership shows rise for quarter

The Las Vegas Monorail's daily average ridership increased about 2,000 in the third quarter this year over the previous quarter, according to statistics released Friday.

In July, the rapid transit line had its largest daily ridership average -- 25,497 -- since November 2005, which had an average of 25,788, according to a monorail spokeswoman.

But daily ridership dropped in both August and September, to 23,871 and 23,435 respectively.

With a current average fare of about $3.53 collected per passenger, the monorail would need a daily average of about 34,844 riders to generate the $123,000 in revenue required to balance the monorail's budget, according to an estimate made in 2006 by Fitch Ratings, a New York City-based credit ratings firm.

In the past three months, the monorail has brought in a little more than $83,000 a day in farebox revenue and seen an average of about 24,000 riders daily.

Since opening to the public on July 15, 2004, the $650 million, four-mile line on the east side of the Strip has failed to turn a profit.

September was the seventh straight month the monorail topped a daily average of 20,000 riders.

Ingrid Reisman, vice president of corporate communications for the company, said officials hope to increase ridership through marketing and advertising the transit system to conventioneers and tourists.