Whilst in Las Vegas in October 2019 I had a need to make some evening journeys for which I expected to be using Uber (as the buses, even the Strip-Downtown Express, are ridiculously slow!). However I saw a new demand responsive service,
Trip to Strip, promoted by the
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and being a sucker for demand responsive travel, off I went.....
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| Strip Downtown Express ('SDX') in one of its faster sections, heading away from the Strip. |
Trip to Strip operates in an area broadly covered by down town Las Vegas (the Old Town), the Strip, airport and Premium Outlets South. To use it you need to down load the app, at which point you discover the software is that of Via Van, and is almost identical in format to
Go Sutton, which also used Via Van technology.
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| Excellent, service booked and it's eight minutes away. Gives me time to get from the 18th floor of the hotel to the pick up point. |
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| And three minutes later its arrived, I'm being harassed by text message and then by the driver calling me. (Note the message sent 18 minutes before the clock time!) |
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| And here is the van. Rather than pull on to the hotel forecourt, I am directed to the nearest bus stop. Talking to the driver, I learn that some hotels and casinos allow them on the forecourt and some don't, but mine does, qv. As can be seen in the app screen print, the app knew exactly where I was, but that wasn't the pick up..... |
This service is operated by a Ford Transit van, configured with seats configured in a 'U' shape. It is also step entry, unlike low floor vans that tend to be used in the UK. At the front is a cool box of chilled water and bucket for [cash] tips. At my first destination the driver knows a better drop off location than the one her sat nav advises, but it was handy she pointed out the official drop off as that was the pick up for my next trip. With the same driver.
Much like my other demand responsive experiences, the two drivers I had on Trip to Strip were unwavingly positive about the service and the customer reaction. I remember my Chariot driver explaining just how popular the service was, driving around in the PM peak with just me on board. It seems bus drivers don't have a great grasp of the customer volumes required to break even but do develop positive relationships with their [few] customers!
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| I think the low ridership/revenue on demand responsive transport is also responsible for the expansion in service area. Just as Go Sutton expanded their service area, Trip to Strip was also keen to tell me I could go all the way south to M Resort/St Rosa Parkway (a road well known to me en route to the Henderson airport!). |
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| The target market for Trip to Strip is clearly people who would otherwise use Uber, Lyft or similar service. This is demonstrated by their marketing which highlights 'no surge pricing': at busy times Uber etc will apply surge pricing, which is better known as market forces. In my case at least, they won! |
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| When I returned to the hotel, on my third Trip to Strip trip of the evening, the driver dropped me off on the hotel forecourt. |
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| My ride back was with another super enthusiastic driver. The Ford Transit this time had three rows of seats and a wheelchair lift in the rear. The Americans are generally quite unsubtle about their wheel chair lifts, and this one is no different - a huge lift simply folds out. The driver was very keen to talk about Trip to Strip, demand responsive buses, Ford Transits or indeed any other subject (maybe hadn't seen a customer for a while) but was also conscious that the app expected him to move off to his nominated parking position. |
So another lightly used demand responsive service ticked off. Uber is a global brand, where customers expect to use the app and get a ride anywhere (ish) in the world. Locally based DRT requires local knowledge and local apps. As in so many places DRT seems to be used as an alternative to addressing the real public transport problem: traffic congestion and bus journey times. I suspect its another questionable use of taxpayers money. Still, can't fault the positivity of the drivers!
