Citizens Area Transit

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Citizens Area Transit (or CAT) is the name of the bus system in the Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada area. Not all of Clark County is serviced by regular scheduled routes. The routes primarily operate within the greater Las Vegas area. The CAT system is operated by Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

Equipment

CAT operates IrisBus Civis diesel electric vehicles on one route traversing North Las Vegas Boulevard, connecting Nellis AFB to the Downtown Transportation Center (DTC). This service is known as MAX. These Civis vehicles operate in a dedicated lane and are self steering, with the driver controlling acceleration and braking(however, supervisors have informed drivers to not use the guiding system anymore due to a bus inbalance). This is the first use of this type of vehicle in the United States.

On October 27, 2005 CAT added a fleet of double decker buses on The Strip Route. The route is now called The Deuce.

Active Fleet Roster

Model Length Year Bus Numbers No. In Fleet Fuel Type Notes
Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 40' 2005 200-249 50 Diesel 1
El Dorado Transmark 33' 1998 351-370 20 Diesel  
New Flyer D40HF 40' 1992 401-490 90 Diesel  
Neoplan AN460L 60' 2001 504-509 6 Diesel  
NewFlyer D60HF 60' 1995 510-517 8 Diesel  
NewFlyer D60HF 60' 1997 520-525 6 Diesel  
NABI 436.08 60' 1997 530-564 35 Diesel  
NABI 436.08 60' 1998 565-575 11 Diesel  
New Flyer D40LF 40' 1994 601-604 4 Diesel  
New Flyer D40LF 40' 1995 610-631 22 Diesel  
New Flyer D40LF 40' 1995 640-657 18 Diesel  
New Flyer C40LF 40' 2001 670-676 7 CNG 2,3
NABI 40-LFW 40' 1999 701-760 60 Diesel  
New Flyer D60LF 60' 2005 800-829 30 Diesel  
Irisbus Civis 60' 2004 M01-M10 10 Diesel-Electric 4
New Flyer DE40LF 40' 2006 N/A 15 Diesel-Electric 6
Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 40' N/A 250-299?? 50 Diesel 5

1 These are the first double deckers to be used for fixed route service in Las Vegas.
2 These are the only CNG coaches in the CAT fleet.
3 Coaches were originally numbered 660-666.
4 These are the only Irisbus Civis coaches in America.
5 These are still in talks.
6 These have been purchased and should arrive sometime this year.

Service area

CAT operates a combination of buses and articulated buses on most routes. The system's two busiest routes, THE DEUCE and Route 109 Maryland Parkway, provide service to the Las Vegas Strip and McCarran Airport, respectively. A sizable majority of Las Vegas Valley residents are within a half-mile of CAT service, but this percentage seems to be decreasing, as CAT is not expanding the service area as fast as the Valley is expanding.

CAT also operates event-specific routes for the NASCAR races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and events at Sam Boyd Stadium located about 7 miles from the Las Vegas Strip.

CAT recently introduced London-inspired double decker buses to their Strip service. They are known as "The Deuce", a winking acknowledgement to the gambler's term for two.

Routes, times and stops

Most routes run from early morning (05:00) til late night (01:00). Some routes operate less frequently on weekends. Fourteen routes operate 24 hours a day every day, including The Strip and airport routes.

Bus stops are generally located after each signal light. Exceptions exist for streches that do not have traffic control lights. At the most basic level, stops are located every 1/4 of a mile. All designated stops have basic signage, many have covered shelters, and the system has two large transfer centers, The Downtown Transportation Center (DTC) and the South Strip Transfer Terminal (SSTT). Like many public facilities in Nevada, both transit centers have slot machines.

Special services

Even though all buses in the system have wheelchair lifts, CAT operates Paratransit for people who have difficulty in accessing the regular transit system. By-appointment-only paratransit is a door-to-door service. CAT also maintains an open charge account with a local taxicab company to service paratransit ridership when unforeseen delays occur, frequently caused by traffic congestion.

External links