Las Vegas cab rides set record at 17,084

9 January 2013

By Tim O'Reiley

LAS VEGAS -- Taxicab rides set a record in Las Vegas with the arrival of the International Consumer Electronics Show.

On Monday, the arrival day for many of the attendees, cabs carried 17,084 fare-paying rides from McCarran International Airport, nearly double the 2012 daily average of 9,117. The large majority of the rides go to Strip venues or the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Monday's total topped the previous high of 14,495 set on Jan. 4, 2011, followed closely by 14,471 on Jan. 9, 2012. Both were also CES days.

The attendance is estimated at 156,000 this year. In addition, ridership on shuttle buses and limos that sell single-rides has dropped by more than 20 percent in the past year, in part because of a location at Terminal 3 that is behind and to the side of the taxi stand. Terminal 3 opened in June, after the last CES.