Good news is in store for Nevadans that rely on bus transportation. Bus service to and from Reno has not been available in some years, but that has recently changed. To catch a Greyhound bus anywhere - even to Las Vegas, required a drive to the Reno Amtrak station beforehand.
The Nevada State Department of Transportation (NDOT), in conjunction with private transit operator, Salt Lake Express, announced on March 12 they will provide bus services connecting Reno to Las Vegas. They will offer a daily round-trip route from Reno to Las Vegas, making several stops along the way.
According to NDOT, they aim to connect rural and urban areas in Nevada. They will be stopping in Fernley, Fallon, Hawthorne, Tonopah, Beatty, and Pahrump. The bus will pick up passengers from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the downtown Reno Amtrack station, and the Centennial Plaza bus terminal in Sparks. It will run to the McCarran International Airport and the Greyhound bus station in Las Vegas. In a recent press release, the Department stated, “With the goal of expanding regional intercity transit and increasing mobility, the routes were identified in part by public feedback provided during the development of NDOT’s Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan. Nearly 70% of Nevadans polled cited such intercity transit connecting Nevada’s rural areas to services in larger urban and metropolitan cities as a top transit priority.”
NDOT also reported that in addition to the benefits of added critical transportation, “Public transit use eliminates an estimated 450 million gallons of gasoline annually in the U.S., reducing related environmental pollution. For every $10 million in transit investment, business sales increase an average of $30 million.”
Funding for the expanded bus service comes in part from nearly $10 million received by NDOT from the Federal Transit Administration Funds. The funds support rural public transit to keep Nevada residents connected to everything from employment and recreation to medical services.
NDOT and Salt Lake Express will also offer additional routes between Elko and Salt Lake City, Utah, and Twin Falls, Idaho. NDOT anticipates as many as 18,250 trips in the first year. Salt Lake Express currently operates routes through Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana while also connecting with carriers across the United States. Ticket pricing and reservations are available at SaltLakeExpress.com or by calling
800-356-9796
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