More people taken for ride

His gold T-shirt reflects the torrid midday sun as he stands at the edge of the curb, peering down the street in the hope of spotting a bus in the oncoming traffic.

Joe Cuff, 54, lost his job as a federal insurance inspector, then lost his car a year ago when he could no longer afford it.

He is happy to ride the bus and forgo buying another car, especially now that gasoline prices have surged past $4 a gallon and are creeping ever upward.

Sure, Cuff has to endure triple-digit temperatures and tailor his life to a bus schedule, but he believes it's a worthwhile trade-off.

"With gas prices the way they are, I will stay on the bus," Cuff said, squinting beneath his red ball cap while waiting near a shelter at Maryland Parkway and Sahara Avenue.

Cuff is among the hordes of riders who are climbing aboard a CAT bus to avoid getting slammed at the fuel pumps.

During the first five months of this year, about 727,000 more people rode the bus than during the same period in 2007, according to figures compiled by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

History shows that ridership tends to increase when fuel prices spike, said Tracy Bower, agency spokeswoman. "Gas prices certainly drive more people to take the bus."

Clark County is in line with the nationwide trend of a 3 percent growth in ridership, a sign that steeper gasoline costs are having an impact everywhere, Bower said.

The ailing economy has further tightened many people's household budgets, compounding the need to save money on commuting, she said.

People can pay $60-plus every time they fill up their cars, versus $40 for a monthly bus pass.

A couple might opt to leave the car at home during the week, she said. Or one spouse might drive while the other rides the bus.

As the area's population has grown, so has ridership, Bower said. Last year, 63.8 million people got on the bus, compared with 45.3 million in 2002.

Not surprisingly, demand is heavy on the Strip, where most of the Deuce double-deck buses run, Bower said.

She noted that although tourists probably make up the largest segment of riders on the Strip, plenty of hotel and casino employees commute on that route.

To keep up with growth, the commission has expanded its fleet to 372 vehicles from the 300 it had six years ago, Bower said.

By summer 2009, the fleet will be up to 391 vehicles.

With ridership and gasoline prices swelling, the commission began looking at different types of buses a few years ago, she said. It now has 89 double-deck buses, 60 hybrids and seven that run on compressed natural gas.

Last year, some double-deck buses began plying routes beyond the Strip, such as Boulder Highway and west Sahara and Flamingo avenues, she said.

Jetta Lathan, 60, said she understands that tourists are the area's economic mainstay. But she thinks the commission should send more buses to neighborhoods and outlying business parks.

If more commuter routes were made available to residents, more people would leave their cars at home, Lathan said. "Let's also concentrate on the locals getting to and fro."

Cuff said he notices that buses run less frequently the farther a route is from the Strip. The buses going through neighborhoods are often packed, because there aren't enough of them, he said.

"I see the ridership going up," Cuff said. "We're the ones that keep the system going. They (transit officials) may think it's the casinos, but it's not."

A moment later, a crowded bus pulls up to the stop. Cuff boards it, grabs an overhead bar and squeezes between other commuters who are standing, just before the bus roars off.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.