Taxi

Taxis aren't allowed to pick up passengers on the street, so you can't hail a cab New York–style. You have to wait in a hotel or other taxi line or call a cab company. If you dine at a restaurant off the Strip, the restaurant will call a cab to take you home.

Fares

The fare is $3.50 on the meter when you get in and 23¢ for every 1/12th mile, or $2.76 per mile (there's also a $32.40 per-hour charge for waiting). Taxis are limited by law to carrying a maximum of four passengers, and there's no additional charge per person. No fees are assessed for luggage, but taxis leaving the airport are allowed to add an airport surcharge of $2. There's also a 3% excise tax on all rates and fees.

Flat-rate, zone-based taxi fares from McCarran Airport were unveiled at the end of 2019; hotels closest to the airport cost $19, the heart of the Strip is $23, and anything from the Strat or beyond is $27. Before these flat rates, the trip from the airport to most hotels on the south end of the Strip cost about $16 to $20, to the north end of the Strip about $22 to $29, and to Downtown about $24 to $27.

Ride-sharing applications can provide either cheaper or dramatically more expensive service depending on surge pricing.

Suggested Routes

Drivers who take passengers through the airport tunnel without asking are committing an illegal practice known as "long-hauling." You have every right to ask your driver about the routes they are using; don't be afraid to speak up. If you have trouble with your cabdriver, be sure to get their name and license number and call the Taxicab Authority to report the incident. Be sure to specify to your driver that you don’t want to take Interstate 15 or the airport tunnel on your way to or from the airport. This is always the longer route distance-wise, which means it's the most expensive, but it can sometimes save you 5 to 10 minutes on the trip if traffic is heavy on the Strip.

Tipping

Drivers should be tipped around 15% to 18% for good service . Some drivers can’t accept credit cards (and those who do usually add a surcharge); all drivers carry only nominal change with them.