What Is the Deuce in Las Vegas? | Strip Bus Basics

The Deuce is RTC’s 24-hour Strip bus linking major resorts, Fremont Street, and the South Strip Transit Terminal.

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A first Strip trip makes the Deuce sound like casino slang, but in Las Vegas it means the tourist-friendly RTC bus running up and down Las Vegas Boulevard. The route is useful because it connects the hotel corridor, downtown, the Las Vegas sign, the south outlet mall, and the South Strip Transit Terminal without a rental car.

The Deuce is slow when traffic is heavy, but it is one of the simplest ways to move between Strip resorts and Fremont Street for a few dollars. Use it when price matters more than speed, when your stops sit close to Las Vegas Boulevard, or when you want a no-driving night out.

What The Deuce In Las Vegas Covers Today

The Deuce in Las Vegas is an RTC Southern Nevada bus route officially called “Deuce on The Strip.” The current RTC route runs between Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas and the South Strip Transit Terminal, with stops beside many major Strip resorts.

The route runs both northbound and southbound along Las Vegas Boulevard. Southbound service continues past Mandalay Bay toward the Las Vegas sign, Town Square, the south outlet mall, the Harry Reid Rent-A-Car Center area, and the South Strip Transit Terminal.

The Deuce is useful for these common visitor moves:

• Moving between the central Strip and Fremont Street without paying rideshare surge pricing.
• Reaching resort clusters such as Wynn-Encore, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Park MGM, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay.
• Getting to the Las Vegas sign when you do not want to drive or park.
• Connecting to other RTC routes at Bonneville Transit Center or South Strip Transit Terminal.

How Much Does The Deuce Cost?

The Deuce currently uses Strip and All Access visitor fares, not the lower residential-route fare. RTC’s published visitor chart lists a $4 single ride, $6 two-hour pass, $8 24-hour pass, and $20 three-day pass on its Strip and All Access fares page.

Children age 5 and younger ride free with a responsible adult. Reduced fares are available for eligible riders, including seniors, youth, students, active-duty military, veterans, people with disabilities, Medicare-eligible riders, and riders with qualifying reduced-fare proof.

Payment is flexible, but the cleanest visitor path is the rideRTC app, Tap & GO, or a ticket vending machine at selected Deuce stops. Cash still works onboard, but exact change matters because drivers do not make change.

Where The Deuce Stops On The Strip

The Deuce stops close to the main resort spine, but the northbound and southbound stops are not always directly opposite each other. Las Vegas Boulevard is wide, crowded, and divided in places, so check the stop direction before crossing.

Central Strip stops cover the highest-demand hotel areas, including Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island, Harrah’s, Caesars Palace, Bellagio/Cosmopolitan, Park MGM, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. North Strip stops include Resorts World Las Vegas, Fontainebleau, Circus Circus, SAHARA Las Vegas, and The STRAT.

Downtown stops put riders near Fremont Street Experience, The Mob Museum area, and Bonneville Transit Center. Transfers at Bonneville Transit Center can help if your destination sits away from Las Vegas Boulevard.

Good rider habit: arrive at the stop a few minutes early, then check the live arrival in rideRTC, Transit, or another RTC-supported app before you commit to waiting.

Buying Tickets And Boarding Without Stress

Deuce tickets are easiest when bought before the bus arrives. RTC sells passes through the rideRTC app, tap-to-ride payment, selected ticket vending machines, and onboard payment with exact cash.

Ticket vending machines at selected Deuce stops sell two-hour, 24-hour, and three-day passes. RTC’s current Deuce schedule notes that ticket vending machines switched to cash-only on November 13, 2025, so app or tap payment is usually smoother for card users.

Boarding is through the front door only. Have your pass, phone, contactless card, or exact cash ready before the bus pulls in, since busy Strip stops can load slowly when everyone starts searching for payment at the door.

Should You Ride The Deuce Or Take A Rideshare?

The Deuce is the better choice for low-cost travel when your pickup and drop-off are both near Las Vegas Boulevard. A rideshare or taxi is better when you are carrying luggage, running late, crossing to an off-Strip address, or traveling with a group that can split the fare.

Traffic decides the real experience. The Deuce can crawl during weekend nights, convention arrivals, major concerts, Golden Knights games, Raiders games, and Formula 1 road work. RTC also warns that the route can use modified routing during Formula 1 race week, so app-based live arrivals matter more during event periods.

For most visitors, the strongest Deuce use case is a north-south sightseeing day: ride from a south Strip hotel to Bellagio or Caesars Palace, continue to Fashion Show Mall or The STRAT, then finish at Fremont Street after dark. The weakest use case is a tight dinner reservation across town, because a bus delay can burn the entire cushion.

Where To Stay If You Plan To Use The Deuce

Las Vegas hotels along Las Vegas Boulevard make the Deuce easiest because stops are close and frequent. A central Strip base around Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Paris, Harrah’s, Park MGM, or The LINQ gives you the most flexible northbound and southbound rides.

Downtown Las Vegas works if Fremont Street is a big part of your trip and you only need occasional Strip access. South Strip hotels near Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, or the Las Vegas sign area work well for outlet shopping and southern stops, but rides to downtown take longer.

Use the map to compare hotel locations against the Deuce corridor before you pick a room:

Pick The Deuce If Price Beats Speed

The Deuce makes the most sense when you want a cheap, simple ride along the Strip and downtown corridor. The route is not the fastest way to cross Las Vegas, but it is easy to understand, runs all night, and covers places most first-time visitors already plan to see.

• Choose the Deuce for: solo travelers, budget trips, Fremont Street outings, Strip sightseeing, and relaxed schedules.
• Skip the Deuce for: airport terminal pickup, heavy luggage, off-Strip restaurants, tight reservations, and groups where a car fare split is reasonable.
• Buy the 24-hour pass when: you expect three or more paid rides in one day.
• Buy the three-day pass when: the bus will be your main Strip transport for a weekend.

For a first Las Vegas trip, the Deuce is not a mystery once you know the route: it is the Strip bus. Treat it as a low-cost corridor tool, check live arrivals before waiting, and switch to a car when time matters more than the fare.