Las Vegas RTC Reduced Fare 2026–27: Half-Price Bus Passes, Who Qualifies and How to Get the ID Card
Updated: 7 hours ago
You need the right card, linked the right way, before the driver or the fare validator will give you the lower price. Here's who qualifies for RTC reduced fares, what documents prove it, where to apply, and how to pay once you have the card.
AT A GLANCE
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A 30-day bus pass in Las Vegas costs $65. With an RTC Reduced Fare ID, the same pass costs $32.50. Over a year, that's close to $400 back in your pocket, and the savings are bigger if you ride the Deuce on the Strip.
The catch is that you need the right card, linked the right way, before the driver or the fare validator will give you the lower price. RTC Southern Nevada is also in the middle of moving riders to a new reloadable tap card system, which has confused a lot of people who had a Reduced Fare ID for years.
Here's who qualifies, what documents prove it, where to apply, and how to actually pay the reduced fare once you have the card.
Last reviewed: October 2026. See our Editorial Standards for how we check these details.
Prices and rules below are what those pages showed when we checked.
What You'll Pay: Regular vs. Reduced
These are the prices on RTC's Fares & Passes page.
Residential routes (most buses)
Fare | Regular | Reduced |
|---|---|---|
Single ride | $2 | $1 |
2-hour pass | $3 | $1.50 |
24-hour pass | $5 | $2.50 |
7-day pass | $20 | $10 |
15-day pass | $34 | $17 |
30-day pass | $65 | $32.50 |
RTC says all passes are good on all routes. One detail that trips people up: 15-day and 30-day passes start counting the moment you buy them, not the first time you ride. Don't buy one a week before you need it.
If anyone in your household is on WIC, that's your way in.
Strip and All Access (the Deuce and Strip routes)
Fare | Regular | Reduced |
|---|---|---|
Single ride | $4 | $2 |
2-hour pass | $6 | $3 |
24-hour pass | $8 | $4 |
3-day pass | $20 | $10 |
Strip and All Access passes work on Strip routes and every residential route too. If you work on the Strip and live off it, compare the 24-hour Strip pass with what you'd spend on residential passes plus single Strip rides.
Paratransit
RTC Paratransit is a separate, door-to-door shared-ride service for people who can't use regular buses on their own. The base cash fare is $3 one way. Paratransit ID holders ride regular fixed-route and express buses free, which is worth knowing if you can manage some trips on the bus.
Who Qualifies
RTC lists these groups as eligible for reduced fares:
Seniors 60 and over
Youth ages 6 to 17
Students in grades K-12
People with disabilities
Medicare-eligible people
Veterans and active-duty military
Mobility Trained customers
Nevada Clark County WIC residents
Visitors and new residents with a valid reduced-fare card from another transit system
Notice what's on the list and what isn't. There's no general low-income reduced fare in Las Vegas the way some cities have. But the WIC category is a real opening for lower-income families. If anyone in your household is on WIC, that's your way in.
The Medicare category is the other one people overlook. RTC lists it separately from seniors, so a Medicare card can be your proof even if you're not yet 60.
What to Bring to Prove Eligibility
RTC is specific about documents. Bring originals.
Seniors (60+): A Medicare card and/or a valid DMV driver's license or non-driver photo ID.
Medicare card holders: Medicare card plus a valid DMV driver's license or non-driver photo ID.
People with disabilities: Either a Medicare card, or a signed letter from a physician stating that you're disabled and how long the disability is expected to last. The letter must be no more than 3 months old and RTC accepts the original only. It has to come with a valid DMV license or ID.
Youth (6 to 17): A birth certificate, or a valid DMV license or non-driver ID.
Students (K-12): Students can show a current student ID when boarding. A separate card isn't always needed.
Veterans: A VA Veterans ID card, DD214 discharge papers, or a military retiree ID, plus a valid state-issued ID.
Active-duty military: A Common Access Card (CAC) or Next Generation Uniformed Services ID, plus a valid Nevada driver's license or state ID.
Clark County WIC participants: Three documents:
A government-issued photo ID
Your Verification of Certification (VOC) letter
The General Signature document from the Nevada Clark County WIC office
If you're on WIC, ask your WIC office for both letters before you go. That's the part most people don't have on hand.
Visitors or new residents: A valid reduced-fare card from another transit agency.
How to Apply
Step 1: Set up a rideRTC account
This is new and it's mandatory. RTC says reduced fare customers must create a rideRTC account as part of the application, whether they apply online or in person. You can do it in the rideRTC mobile app or on the rideRTC web portal. Write down the email address you use. You'll enter it on your application.
You also have to choose, at the time you apply, whether you'll use your benefit on the mobile app or on a reloadable tap card. Think about this before you go. If you don't have a smartphone or don't want to rely on one, pick the card.
Step 2: Apply online or in person
Online: Available for new applications and renewals for seniors, active-duty military, veterans, WIC participants and Medicare card holders. RTC's online form says to allow up to 10 days for review. You can't replace a lost card online.
In person: Go to either:
Bonneville Transit Center, 101 E. Bonneville Ave., at the southwest corner of Casino Center Boulevard, downtown
RTC Administration Building, 600 S. Grand Central Pkwy., Suite 350, first-floor customer care window, Las Vegas 89106
Youth and student cards, disability applications with a doctor's letter, and lost-card replacements all point you toward applying in person.
Step 3: Link the card and start saving
If you chose the app, open rideRTC, go to Profile under the Utilities menu, tap My Discounts, and enter the Reduced Pass ID number printed on your Reduced Fare ID card. After that, reduced-price passes show up in the app.
RTC says reduced fares can also be bought through the Transit and Uber apps.
How to Board With a Reduced Fare
This is where riders get stuck. RTC lays out three steps for people using a physical Reduced Fare ID, Veterans ID or Mobility Trained ID:
Show the driver your RTC-issued ID card.
Pay, by swiping your pass or putting money in the farebox. Paratransit customers skip this step.
Tap your RTC-issued ID on the electronic validator near the farebox.
If your ID is linked to the rideRTC app, you skip showing the card to the driver. You just scan your phone on the validator.
If you pay cash on board, have exact change. Drivers don't make change.
Riding With a Personal Care Attendant
If you need someone with you to ride, your attendant may ride free. RTC says a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) rides free when the customer has a fixed-route Reduced Fare card or a Paratransit ID, from RTC or another agency, that certifies a PCA is needed. You pay your reduced fare. Your attendant pays nothing. RTC's page notes a new PCA card is "coming soon."
Paying for Passes With Cash
Not everyone has a bank card. RTC says you can load cash into the rideRTC app at participating local vendors, buy passes in person at the Bonneville Transit Center or the RTC Administration Building, or use select ticket vending machines and vendors around the valley.
Students in College
College students aren't covered by the K-12 reduced fare, but RTC says UNLV, CSN and NSC have their own discounts on 30-day and semester passes. Ask your school's student services office.
A Few Practical Tips
☐ Renew before your card expires. Seniors, veterans, active-duty, WIC and Medicare card holders can renew online.
☐ Doctor's letter dated within 3 months. If your appointment was months ago, ask the office for a fresh signed letter.
☐ Don't buy passes from strangers. RTC says passes from unauthorized sources are invalid.
☐ Lost card? It has to be replaced in person.
☐ Bring a backup ID. Almost every category requires a DMV license or state ID alongside the main proof.
One caution: we couldn't confirm everything. RTC's pages don't say how long a Reduced Fare ID is valid before renewal, whether there's a fee for a replacement card, or the hours of the Bonneville Transit Center and administration-building windows. Paratransit eligibility steps aren't covered here. The new PCA card's launch date wasn't posted.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
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