Boring Co. eyeing license for above-ground Vegas Loop airport trips

Boring Co.’s Vegas Loop could be one step closer to connecting to Las Vegas’ airport, if the state approves the company’s request to operate above ground for portions of rides.

The Vegas Loop, under the subsidiary Paradise Transportation Co., has applied for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity with the Nevada Transportation Authority to operate above ground to allow passengers to travel to and from Harry Reid International Airport, according to a draft order filed last month by the authority.

Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Visitors Authority, told the Review-Journal last month that linking the airport to the Vegas Loop system is a key aspect to ensure the transportation mode is successful.

“It’s important for our visitors, so it makes it important for our community,” Hill said. “The ability to go that last half-mile or mile to the airport and connect people to the tunnel system is something we think is important and we know that our visitors would appreciate.”

The matter regarding the Boring Co.’s application could be heard as early as the Oct. 10 transportation authority meeting; it was set to be heard at last month’s meeting, but that meeting was canceled amid the state government cyberattack.

Transportation authority spokeswoman Teri Williams couldn’t confirm the Boring Co.’s license would be heard during next month’s meeting. She said the authority does not disclose agenda items before releasing the agenda and notice of meeting.

“Once the agenda is released, they will also post the supporting documents, which will include a draft order and other materials relevant to the application,” Williams said in an email to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Vegas Loop plans

Hill has said on multiple occasions that Boring Co. plans to go above ground to the airport via planned Vegas Loop stations on Paradise Road. One is proposed across from the Thomas &Mack Center at 4744 Paradise and the other would be just south of Tropicana and off Paradise at 5032 Palo Verde Road.

The 4744 Paradise site is where Boring Co. launched tunneling operations for its University Center Loop, which just saw the first tunnel last week reach the Westgate, where an existing loop station is located. That 2.2-mile line will feature eight stations along the way, including at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, a planned Boring Co. apartment complex, a station in Howard Hughes Center and the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Clark County records show that Boring Co.’s planned station at the Palo Verde Vegas Loop station would be next door to a future multimodal center serving the airport. The multimodal center, along with another one planned south of the airport, would serve public transportation and ride hailing services while providing parking for employees and airport crew members.

The application for the license notes that all rides that include the airport must include a portion of the trip traveling within the Vegas Loop tunnels.

Dual pricing

Above-ground trips would incur a separate fee on top of the fee to ride within the Vegas Loop tunnels, according to the application. Above-ground rides would cost $7 for up to 3 miles, $12 for trips between 4 and 6 miles and $14 for over 6 miles, according to the document.

“The authority of the NTA is when the Boring Co. is above ground and they’ll go through a process and review for that part of the ride, but the fact that it’s going to be inexpensive to ride the loop underground isn’t in the purview of that application and is a great thing for everybody,” Hill said. “They (NTA) will review those rates and determine what the right rate application is. But underground, that’s a conversation that has been had with the county and the city and is embedded in franchise agreement there.”

The estimated pricing model for the Vegas Loop system on Boring Co.’s website, which has been posted for a few years, lists the estimated price of a ride from downtown Las Vegas to Reid airport as $12.

Vegas Loop rides between the stations at Encore, Resorts World and Westgate run $4.25 one way, $7 round trip and $12.50 for a day pass. Rides within the convention center’s footprint are free for event attendees.

So, it’s safe to say that a trip downtown would cost more than $12, as the price to ride Vegas Loop from Encore, Resorts World and Westgate is $4.25 one-way and those trips are well under two miles. If you add the $4.25 price of an existing loop ride to the $7 above-ground surcharge to the airport, that equals $11.25. It’s likely that a Vegas Loop ride from downtown to the airport will cost more than $4.25, as the airport surcharge increases with the number of miles traveled above ground.It would make sense that the Vegas Loop prices would feature a similar tiered pricing system.

The application would cover all Vegas Loop Stations approved by Clark County, would only allow point-to-point rides, and would not limit how many vehicles Boring Co. could use in their operation.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.