RTC providing free transit rides to locals

Locals heading downtown or to the Strip to ring in the new year can do so for free, courtesy of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

The agency is offering free transit rides from 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve to 9 a.m. on New Year's Day, including direct bus service from Centennial Hills and Summerlin to downtown.

The RTC is encouraging revelers to celebrate responsibly and avoid drinking and driving by taking advantage of the free service. The free rides apply to all RTC transit routes throughout the valley during the time period.

Express service from both RTC park-and-ride centers - Centennial Hills and Westcliff - will take transit riders to the Neonopolis downtown, at a higher frequency of approximately every 20 minutes starting at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve until 4 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Passengers wanting to go to the Strip for their celebration can transfer to The Deuce where they will be taken as close as possible, given closures of Las Vegas Boulevard for the annual holiday party.

Once traffic is closed on the Strip, the double-decker service will take riders from the Fremont Street Experience to Mandalay Bay via Paradise Road and Koval Lane approximately every 20 minutes.

Additionally, the Strip & Downtown Express will operate from the Las Vegas Premium Outlets North to the South Strip Transfer Terminal via Industrial Road/Dean Martin Drive at a 20-minute frequency until 2:30 a.m. on New Year's Day. Routes 201 (Tropicana Avenue), 202 (Flamingo Road) and 203 (Spring Mountain Road/Desert Inn Road/Lamb Boulevard) will provide the closest possible access to the Strip but will not stop on the boulevard.

Because of the Strip closures, there will be some detouring for east-west travel. For information on detours and alternative routes, go to the RTC's website at rtcsnv.com. Riders are encouraged to plan extra time if they will be traveling a route or routes affected by the detours.

Detours will begin at approximately 4 p.m. on New Year's Eve and will end at approximately 4 a.m. on New Year's Day, the agency said.