This is perhaps not a major problem, but I would be curious if others have noticed this.
When we arrived last time in Vegas our taxi driver mentioned that the traffic was extremely heavy on the strip -- he had just come that way. He suggested that to get to the Mirage, he could take the expressway and that although it would cost a couple of dollars more it would be a lot faster due to the current traffic. We said that was fine and that's how we went. Immediately after checking in we went out for a walk and noticed how little traffic there was on the strip. I mentioned our situation to the doorman who told me that taxi drivers are required to tell you if they want to take a longer route so that you can't take later recourse. But he said that most of them now deliberately tell this story about the heavy traffic so that they can get a few extra dollars per trip, nearly always taking a longer route. Most people I have talked with have told me similar stories about their driver telling them about the longer route due to heavy traffic. One friend got the same story, then his driver went considerably further up the interstate and had to come quite a way back down the strip to his hotel, where the worst traffic was!
Incidentally, the doorman told us that that entire afternoon the traffic on the strip had seemed to be extremely light, so he couldn't imagine why the driver told us it was unusually heavy. Also when we took a taxi back to the airport, the driver gave us the same story about going by the interstate to save time. We were very early for our flight, so we told him we would prefer to just go down the strip. Guess what? There was hardly any traffic at all.

I guess that could be a scam, but I wouldn't automatically assume the next taxi driver who said that there was heavy traffic on the strip was lying. I've been to Vegas several times; the last time we were taking a shuttle down the strip and ended up getting out and walking because the traffic was so bad. And we did beat the shuttle to our destination. During the mid to late afternoon it seemed there was no room to move at all on the street, but at night the traffic seemed to be moving along pretty well. I guess it would a good thing to ask the doorman before you get in the cab.

Normal cab fare from airport to Mirage..s/b about $12-14....do not know how much you paid...but I have found the cabby's in LAS to be fair....

I think we got the same thing. As soon as we said we were going to Bellagio, the driver insisted that he knew a better way to get there to avoid the traffic, but told us it would cost a "few dollars more". He added that since we were staying at the Bellagio, that shouldn't matter. I thought it was sort of a rude comment. The entire trip up the interstate he kept going on and on about how he likes to take care of his customers unlike most taxi drivers. We took it as trying to build up a big tip. Like Patrick, we went beyond our hotel and had to circle back down the strip. The traffic seemed heaviest by the Mirage and Caesar's, where we wouldn't have been if we had come up the strip. We could see no real traffic between Bellagio and the airport and we could really see from our room. It was no big deal, it didn't cost that much, but it does sound like a regular thing they do there to either build up their fares or to milk a bigger tip.

Even if you get caught in this so-called "scam" it's only going to cost you an extra $3-$5. Believe me, you lose a lot more money than that a a casino in a matter of seconds. This is worth losing any sleep over. You might actually save money should traffic be heavy.

Hey Patrick,

This is one of those chicken or the egg problems that will never go away. Yes, sometimes it is faster to avoid the strip, as it is also sometimes faster to take the highway downtown too. However, 8 times out of 10, it is faster to drive down the strip, unless it is in the evening, then do whatever you can to avoid the strip. Anyway, it is a rip-off of only $3-4. Don't get too worried about it and just enjoy getting there in one piece, at least it is safer!

Roger

As I said, it isn't a big problem, and you are all right, it certainly isn't a matter of money. I was just curious if it is a standard procedure, and guess maybe it is. I guess I can be pretty naive and hated to think that the taxi drivers aren't being totally honest when they say that traffic is too heavy and it isn't. I guess it's just a matter of principle that I expect people to be totally honest, not tell a little lie just to get a couple of extra bucks. It just seems to me that unless the traffic is completely stopped -- I'd rather go right up the strip anyway. After all I go to Vegas for the glitz and lights, so why not experience it from arrival. Thanks for the comments, was just curious if others had heard or noticed the same thing.

This is actually a scam, and it's happened to us 2 of the 12 times we've been to Vegas. We asked a cab driver about it and he said that cabbies have an expression for it and that we had been "tunnelled". We asked what to do to ensure it doesn't happen again, and he said to tell that driver that we would appreciate not got by the tunnel (which takes you to the freeway).