The RTC currently operates 51 routes with 17 routes operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including The Deuce on The Strip. Most routes run from early morning (04:00) until late night (01:00). On weekends & holidays, some routes either operate less frequently, operate with less hours, or not operate at all. Las Vegas has one of the most comprehensive
night bus networks in the United States, owing to the 24-hour nature of the casinos and hospitality industry. RTC Transit is the largest
outsourced transit operation in the United States, having overtaken the title from the now-defunct
Metropolitan Transportation Authority's
Long Island Bus service in late 2011. As of 2011, the contract is worth approximately $600 million over seven years. The fixed route system had been operated by
Veolia Transport and its predecessors, ATC-Vancom and
National Express, since inception. Bus operators, mechanics, and most other contractor employees are represented by
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1637. Paratransit and dial-a-ride services are operated by
First Transit. The fixed route contract was scheduled to expire September 25, 2011, and was awarded to First Transit, the apparent low bidder and highest scorer on the comprehensive review, however, Veolia has complained to the RTC board of bidding irregularities in the First Transit bid as well as an unfair emphasis on price in comparison to other technical factors. The RTC board approved the First Transit bid on a 4–3 vote, but after the
Nevada Attorney General reprimanded the RTC for approving the contract without a majority of the eight members on the RTC board (as opposed to merely those present), which was determined by a district court judge that all 8 members were not required and the award was legitimate. However, in the fallout of the court decision, the RTC returned for a re-vote in which the board then deadlocked at 4-4 for multiple months. The RTC board decided that it was best to cancel the award and bring forward a new fresh proposal for bid, and gave Veolia a 1-year extension while the board found a means to obtain a majority to make a decision. First Transit subsequently sued the RTC to force them to make a decision. In November 2011 First Transit and the RTC settled their lawsuit. First Transit continued to operate the paratransit system and Veolia continued to operate the fixed route bus system until the end of 2012. The new fixed route transit contract will be split into two, to allow smaller vendors to bid. The two contract system is similar to that of
Foothill Transit in the Los Angeles area, which is the third largest outsourced fixed route public transit system in the United States. In December 2012, the contractors for both yards submitted their 1st round proposals with Veolia,
Keolis (no relation to Veolia), and
MV Transportation advancing to round 2 and First Transit failing to advance. In January 2013, the remaining contractors submitted their final proposals to the board, and on February 14, 2013, the RTC voted to award the Sunset Maintenance Facility to Keolis, and the Simmons Maintenance Facility to MV, beating out the original two contractors. Keolis and MV began operations of RTC Transit on July 7, 2013, at 12:00am. MV operates routes 101, 102, 105, 106, 110, 111, 113, 115, 120, 121, 203, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 214, 215, 218, 219, 603, 604, 607, CX, & DVX. These routes are primarily in the northern portion of the service area. MV also operates the 700 series (Silver Star) routes. Keolis operates routes 103, 104, 108, 109, 117, 119, 122, 201, 202, 212, 217, 401, 402, 601, 602, 605, 606, 608, The Deuce on The Strip, BHX, & SX. These routes are primarily in the southern portion of the service area. MV also operates RTC Paratransit operations as of March 2020. RTC once again consolidated the expiring individual fixed route contracts held by Keolis (Sunset) and MV (Simmons) respectively. The 4-year contract was awarded to
First Transit, which was subsequently purchased by
Transdev. Transdev took over operations on July 1, 2023.
Service area RTC Transit operates a grid-type system within the Las Vegas Valley, which includes the four incorporated cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City; in addition, the remaining service area is in unincorporated Clark County. The system's two busiest routes, The Deuce on The Strip and Route 109 Maryland Parkway, provide service to the Las Vegas Strip and
Harry Reid International Airport, respectively. Approximately 40% of Clark County residents do not live within close proximity of a bus stop. RTC Transit also operates special routes for occasions such as sporting events at
Allegiant Stadium,
T-Mobile Arena, and
Las Vegas Ballpark. The RTC service area has the second longest number of full-time bus-only lanes, second only to
MTA New York City Transit. Bus-only lanes operate on portions of
Flamingo Road,
Sahara Avenue,
Boulder Highway,
North Las Vegas Boulevard, Grand Central Parkway, and Casino Center Drive.
Funding shortfall For its size - the 12th busiest nationwide - RTC's funding mechanism is unusually reliant on local sales tax. As of 2025, its share is three-eights of a percent and has been since 2002, despite major population growth, contributing to the system being unable to meet demand. Many other major transit systems, in contrast, get funding through multiple other sources. In a May 2025 article, RTC CEO M.J. Maynard stated that RTC's transit operations had a funding gap of $136 million, and that without an increase in funds, transit could be significantly cut by 2027 with an impact to 25-30% of service.
Route numbers • 100s: Local North–south routes. • 200s: Local East–west routes. • 300s: "The Deuce" Strip Corridor routes. • 400s: Regular Shuttle routes. • 600s: Special Shuttle routes. • 700s: Silver STAR routes. • 900s: Express routes. • FDRs: Flexible Demand Response routes. ;Notes
RTC Paratransit Even though all buses in the system have wheelchair lifts, RTC operates
RTC Paratransit for people who have difficulty in accessing the regular transit system. By-appointment-only paratransit is a door-to-door service. RTC also maintains an open charge account with a local taxicab company to service paratransit ridership when unforeseen delays occur, frequently caused by traffic congestion. == Fares ==