Riding around on a bicycle for work may seem like a lot of fun, but for McCarran’s bike patrol team, it’s a job that also comes with a lot of responsibilities. These employees oversee everything from parking enforcement and security to helping out stranded motorists.

At the beginning of each shift, bike patrol officers attend a briefing where they receive their assignments for the day. One person might be assigned to cover several different areas, including the Lyft and Uber staging area, shuttle bus stops on Zero Level, and employee and public parking areas. They’re making sure vehicles have the proper permits, checking for parking or moving violations and giving directions to passengers. When vehicles are abandoned in airport parking areas, bike patrol is responsible for arranging for their removal.

They also collect parking fees, provide security by reporting unusual incidents, monitor parking payment equipment, direct traffic and issue citations.

Each rider is assigned a specific bike which they use for every shift. The airport has nearly 40 bicycles, one for each employee, plus spares in case one is damaged or inoperable. Bikes are maintained and repaired by a local third-party contractor who comes to the airport when needed.

The bicycles are equipped with a small pack where employees keep the items they’ll need for their shift. Most carry a bike lock, a handheld unit for issuing citations, gloves and hand sanitizer.

Even though employees use the same bike each shift, at the end of the day they don’t take them home. The equipment is locked in a secure area on airport property until the person’s next shift.

In addition to patrolling McCarran’s parking garages and curbs, the bike patrol team provides complimentary services for parking customers such as battery jump starts and tire inflations. They can even help travelers locate their vehicles if they’ve forgotten where they parked.

Customers and airport employees who need one of these services can simply call the parking office at 702-261-5122, which dispatches bike patrol to assist the stranded motorist.

With a wide range of responsibilities, the highly visible members of McCarran’s bike patrol team log many miles each day, all while providing customer service and supporting airport parking operations, safety and security.