In twenty years of going to Las Vegas, sometimes several times a year, I've never driven there and never rented a car. I do a lot of walking and when it's too far to walk, I take cabs. Vegas cabdrivers are the best I've encountered in this country but of course, there are exceptions. If you seem clueless about how far apart places are, a tiny but pernicious fraction will engage in a practice called "long hauling." This is when you tell them to take you someplace two miles away and they get there by way of Tucson. This recent article will give you more info.
I was pointed to that piece by a reader of this site who works in one of the major hotels there. He wrote, "This is the number one complaint I get at my job about cabs from all our out of town visitors. I hate to see people's vacations tarnished before they even get checked into the hotel. This is primarily done on the trips from the airport." He's right. The only times I've ever had a driver try to swindle me was coming out of McCarren Airport. There are several routes from there to the Strip but the undesirable one involves the Interstate 215 tunnel, which usually gets you there sooner but always adds $5-$10 to your fare. Drivers are allowed to use it if you agree so what some of them do is say, "You want to get there the fastest way, right?" They don't tell you it's longer and therefore more expensive. Here's an article by an undercover reporter who investigated this delightful practice.
And here's what a trip should run you. All of these are without tip…
- From the airport to any of the hotels around the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and the Strip (The Excalibur, Tropicana, MGM Grand or New York, New York) should be around nine bucks.
- From the airport to the mid-Strip area (The Mirage, Harrah's, Caesars Palace, The Venetian) should be around eleven dollars.
- From the airport to near the North end of the Strip (Riviera, Circus Circus, Stardust) should be about fourteen.
- And from the airport to downtown could be twenty bucks or a bit over.
It also helps to not get into the cab and advertise that you're a newbie. Most drivers, even the honest ones, start by asking you, "Business or pleasure?" and/or "First time in Vegas?" "Business" means you're probably on an expense account and not that worried about getting swindled out of ten bucks. And announcing it's your first visit, or your first in a long time, is like admitting you won't know the difference if the ride is twice as long as necessary. I usually answer, "I come here all the time to gamble," even though I stopped wagering long ago. That alerts the driver that I know the town, that I'm not a wide-eyed tourist, and that I probably pay good attention to where my money goes. You can also just get in, give your destination and tell them not to take the tunnel, thereby alerting them that you know about such tricks.
Like I said, crooked cabbies are a tiny minority. I'm surprised the undercover reporter got taken as much as he got taken. Still, you've got to keep your eye on them. Don't let them cheat you out of ten dollars you can throw away in a slot machine.