Sprint to Bring Mobile Ticketing to Monorail

Las Vegas Monorail will offer mobile ticketing to help customers avoid long lines, get relevant offers

RESTON, Va. — 04/04/2006, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today a new service that will allow wireless customers to purchase tickets for the Las Vegas Monorail right from their wireless phones. Through mobile marketing, customers can avoid ticket-purchasing lines at the monorail terminals just by sending a text message to a short code.

“Sprint is giving customers a new way to use their wireless phones to do the things they want to do, whenever and wherever they want,” said John Styers, director of data communications for Sprint. “Mobile ticketing for the Las Vegas Monorail will give customers even greater flexibility for using this convenient travel option.”

The Las Vegas Monorail and Sprint will provide monorail passengers the ability to purchase tickets from their wireless phones. Customers will be able to text the word RIDE to short code 99630 to receive a mobile ticket sent via text message right to their phone. The passenger will then be able to take their mobile ticket to any of the monorail mobile ticketing kiosks powered by Swiftpass, one of the industry’s leading mobile ticketing providers, and hold the ticket image in front of the kiosk scanner for the ticket to be dispensed.

Mobile ticketing proved to be very popular during a free trial on two kiosks at the Consumer Electronic Show in January, with 20 percent of the tickets issued during the three-day show coming from wireless phones.

“Various pass and ticket options make the monorail a quick and easy way to travel among some of the world’s best resorts without the hassles of driving,” said, Curtis Myles III, Las Vegas Monorail president and CEO. “Providing convenient mobile ticketing with Sprint and Swiftpass will be just one more way the monorail can help residents and visitors alike enjoy all the Las Vegas Strip has to offer.”

For CTIA, a sneak peek of the new service will be available at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the convention center monorail terminal. Sprint hostesses will be on hand during CTIA to assist individuals with the use of the service and to answer any questions.

All mobile tickets will be charged at the current monorail rate of $5 per single ride. Standard text messaging rates apply.


About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of communications services bringing mobility to consumer, business and government customers. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks offering industry leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

About Las Vegas Monorail:
The Las Vegas Monorail is privately funded and operated, using no tax dollars for its construction or operations. It connects eight major resorts, linking more than 25,000 hotel rooms and about 4.4 million square feet of meeting and convention space, including one of the world’s largest convention centers. The 4-mile route stops at the following seven stations: MGM Grand; Bally’s/Paris; Flamingo/Caesars Palace; Harrah’s/Imperial Palace; Las Vegas Convention Center; Las Vegas Hilton; and the Sahara. The $650 million transportation system runs along the Las Vegas resort corridor, traveling at a top speed of 50 mph. Up to nine trains consisting of four cars each run on a single rail that rises 20 feet high in most areas, its highest point reaching 70 feet above the Las Vegas Convention Center. The system is electric and has improved transit along The Strip without impacting air quality. Each year, it will take more than 4.4 million automobile trips off the major roadways and reduce carbon monoxide by 135 tons. The monorail operates Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. and Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. For more ticketing options, visit www.lvmonorail.com.

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Emmy Anderson

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Sprint Nextel

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