TLDR: A party bus or charter bus to Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway eliminates the only thing that reliably ruins a casino night — the designated driver — and drops your whole group at the front entrance, with a pickup already locked in before anyone feeds their first machine.
The moment a group decides to drive separately to the casino, someone draws the short straw. One person stays sober while everyone else plays freely, and whoever lost the draw is watching the clock before the first hand is dealt. It's the built-in flaw of every casino night that involves personal vehicles.
A party bus or charter bus to Empire City Casino at MGM Yonkers (810 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers, NY 10704) solves that problem at the root: one vehicle, one pickup, one drop at the front door, and a return that's already arranged before anyone sits down. The night runs on the group's schedule, not the transit schedule or the last rideshare ETA.
Empire City Casino pairs the main gaming floor with live harness racing at Yonkers Raceway — one of the oldest continually operating harness tracks in the United States, dating to 1899 — which means the logistics for a group visit have two distinct flavors depending on whether you're there for the slots or for the races. This guide covers both: exact drop-off and pickup logistics, which vehicle fits your headcount, what shapes the price, how the transit alternatives actually stack up, and everything else a group organizer needs to plan a clean night out from anywhere in Westchester, the Bronx, Manhattan, or northern New Jersey.
Why a Bus Makes the Casino Night Work
The designated-driver problem is the obvious answer, but it's worth spelling out why it matters so much for a casino night specifically. Unlike a concert that ends when the last encore finishes, a casino visit has no natural stopping point. The group stays until it's ready to leave — which might be midnight, might be 2 AM, might be 3 AM.
Every hour that extends the night is an hour the designated driver isn't drinking and isn't gambling freely, and their impatience sets the invisible countdown timer for the whole group. A party bus or charter bus removes that timer. The bus comes when the group calls it, everyone makes the decision to leave together, and the night ends on its own terms.
The parking situation at Empire City Casino is manageable by New York-area casino standards — there's a large on-site surface lot and a garage, and parking is free for guests. But for groups of 15 or more arriving in multiple cars, the coordination overhead adds up: staggered arrivals because two cars got stuck on I-87, a 20-minute regrouping at the end because half the group is already at their car and the other half is finishing one last spin. One bus bypasses the entire sequence.
Drop-off at the entrance, agreed pickup time, everyone leaves together.
On busy race nights — high-stakes harness cards, holiday weekends, Saturday nights in summer — the lot fills earlier than first-time visitors expect, and the area around Yonkers Avenue gets sluggish on exit. The post-race, post-casino crowd all hit the lot within a 20-minute window. With a bus, your group walks out to a staged vehicle and rolls while everyone else is still finding their car.
Drop-Off and Pickup at Empire City Casino & Yonkers Raceway
Bus drop-off at Empire City Casino is at the main entrance on Yonkers Avenue, where the entrance drive loops through the front of the property. A minibus or full-size charter bus pulls through the front-of-house drop zone, offloads the group at the door, and stages in the large surface lot that wraps around the property while the group is inside. The lot has ample space for oversized vehicles, and parking is free for all guests — no separate bus parking fee to budget for.
For pickup at the end of the night, the cleanest arrangement is a pre-set return window rather than a "call when ready" open-ended setup. Agree on a pickup time before you go in — say, 1:30 AM if your group is starting around 7 PM — and the bus is already staged and ready when the group reassembles at the entrance. For groups that want flexibility, some booking companies can arrange a standby option for shorter runs from the Bronx or southern Westchester, but for late-night pickups after midnight a fixed window is the more reliable play.
Confirm the staging arrangement and the current approach route when you book, particularly for high-attendance race nights when traffic on Yonkers Avenue can slow the approach.
Free parking at the casino means no separate bus parking fee. The large on-site lot and garage accommodate oversized vehicles for staging during your visit — one less cost to factor into your per-person math.
Live Harness Racing at Yonkers Raceway: What Group Visitors Need to Know
Yonkers Raceway is not a side attraction — it's one of the country's oldest continuously operating harness tracks, open since 1899, and it draws serious horseplayers alongside casual group visitors who come for the spectacle. Live harness racing runs year-round on a schedule that typically covers Tuesday through Saturday evenings, with first post around 7:10 PM on most racing nights. The card usually runs eight to twelve races, wrapping somewhere between 10:30 PM and midnight depending on post times and scratches.
Always confirm on the official Yonkers Raceway schedule before building your group's itinerary around a specific race night — holiday dates and stakes events shift the card.
For a group visiting for the racing, a few logistics matter. The grandstand has tiered seating with clear views of the track, and the Terrace Dining Room serves race-night crowds — reservations in advance are the right call for a group of 15 or more, rather than showing up and splitting across separate tables. The racing program, available at the track, gives the group entries, odds, and past performances to handicap through the card.
If your group includes people who have never watched harness racing before, that program is the difference between a confusing couple of hours and an actively engaging evening.
A popular group format: watch the first few races from the grandstand, move to the gaming floor during a break in the card, and rotate back to the track for the late-night feature races. The casino floor and the raceway are connected within the same complex, so there's no going outside in January weather to move between the two. For groups that want to combine both in a single visit, a party bus or charter bus makes the full evening work cleanly: one bus from your pickup point, one drop at the entrance, and a return timed to wrap up after the final race or after the last spin — whichever comes last.
Getting to Empire City Casino: Routes, Traffic & Timing
Empire City Casino at MGM Yonkers sits in southwestern Yonkers near the intersection of Yonkers Avenue and the Cross County Parkway. The approach routes from most of the greater New York region funnel through a predictable set of corridors:
| From… | Approx. distance | Typical drive time (off-peak) | Primary route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midtown Manhattan | ~20 miles | 35–50 min | I-87 N (Major Deegan) to Yonkers Ave exit |
| The Bronx | ~12 miles | 20–30 min | I-87 N or McLean Ave / Saw Mill River Pkwy |
| White Plains | ~10 miles | 15–25 min | Sprain Brook Pkwy S to Cross County Pkwy W |
| Jersey City / Newark | ~28 miles | 45–60 min | I-95 N / Cross Bronx to I-87 N |
| Greenwich, CT | ~28 miles | 40–55 min | I-95 W to Hutchinson River Pkwy or Sprain Brook Pkwy |
Those times stretch noticeably on Friday and Saturday evenings, when I-87 North through the Bronx carries commuter and leisure traffic simultaneously. The Major Deegan between the Cross Bronx Expressway and the Yonkers exits backs up reliably from about 4 PM through 7:30 PM on weekday evenings, and the Cross County Parkway westbound can slow near the Sprain Brook interchange during the same window. For a 7:10 PM first post on a race night, a departure from a Manhattan or Bronx pickup at 5:30 to 6:00 PM gives the group a comfortable buffer — enough time to settle in at the grandstand or grab dinner at the Terrace before the horses are loaded.
From White Plains or southern Westchester, 6:00 to 6:30 PM works for most evenings. Build in an extra 30 minutes on Friday nights.
Every Way to Get a Group to Empire City Casino — Compared Honestly
This is a bus-comparison site, but that's no reason to pretend the alternatives don't exist. Here's an honest breakdown of every realistic way a group of 15 or more gets to Empire City Casino from the greater New York area — and where each one breaks down.
| Option | Cost shape | Arrive together? | Drinking flexibility | Schedule constraints | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private party bus or charter bus | One flat hourly rate split across the group | Yes — one pickup, one drop, one return | Full — nobody is the designated driver | None — the group decides the schedule | Groups of 15–56 |
| Metro-North + Bee-Line Bus | ~$7–$12/person each way | Only if coordinated carefully at the station | Yes, but no group cohesion | Hard cutoff — last trains from Yonkers run before 2 AM on most nights | Solo or pairs from Manhattan |
| Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) | Per car each way + post-midnight surge pricing | No — multiple cars, multiple ETAs | Yes, but fragmented and expensive late | Surge after midnight is unpredictable | 2–4 people |
| Carpool (multiple cars) | Gas + free casino parking per car | No — caravans always scatter | No — each car needs someone who stays sober | None — but the designated-driver tax applies to every car | Small groups of 4–8 max |
Metro-North's Harlem Line runs from Grand Central to Yonkers station, and the Westchester Bee-Line Bus connects from the station to the casino area. For one or two people from Manhattan who don't mind a transfer and a schedule, it works. But the last outbound trains from Yonkers back toward Grand Central run well before 2 AM on most nights — which puts a hard cap on your casino night at exactly the point when most groups are hitting their stride.
For groups of 10 or more, coordinating everyone onto the right train at the right time after a casino floor empties out is its own logistical exercise. The rideshare math is similar: five round-trip rideshares at $25 each way plus surge easily clears $300 for a group of 10, while one party bus for that same group rounds out at a lower per-person number with zero coordination overhead.
Which Bus Fits Your Casino Group?
The right vehicle depends on headcount and what kind of experience you want on the ride there. Yonkers Party Bus Company connects groups to transportation providers serving Yonkers and the surrounding region, with access to everything from Sprinter vans for a small VIP group to full-size charter buses for a large office casino night.
| Vehicle | Typical capacity | Best for | Standout amenities for casino nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter van | Up to 12–14 | Small VIP groups, executive outings | Leather seating, USB charging, tinted privacy windows |
| Party bus — smaller (15–25 passengers) | ~15–25 | Birthday casino nights, bachelorette trips | Built-in bar, color-changing LED lighting, Bluetooth sound, flat-panel TVs |
| Party bus — larger (25–50 passengers) | ~25–50 | Office nights out, club events, large celebrations | Full bar setup, dance area, premium sound system, LED lighting throughout |
| Minibus (15–35 passengers) | ~15–35 | Mid-size groups, community club outings, senior groups | Reclining seats, powerful A/C, overhead storage |
| Charter bus (40–56 passengers) | Up to 56 | Large corporate groups, bus club tours | Reclining seats, onboard restroom, WiFi, power outlets, undercarriage storage |
For the classic casino night — a milestone birthday, a bachelorette trip, or an office group hitting the floor together — a 20- to 30-passenger party bus is the most-requested vehicle on this type of run. The built-in bar means the pregame starts the moment the bus pulls away from the curb, the LED lighting sets the mood before anyone reaches the slot floor, and the sound system keeps the energy up on the ride home. For a larger group or a corporate outing where the vibe skews more formal, a full-size 40- to 56-passenger charter bus handles the headcount cleanly with reclining seats and an onboard restroom — especially useful on runs from Manhattan or New Jersey where door-to-door time can reach 75 minutes or more.
Per-person math on a 25-person casino night: A 5-hour party bus rental at an illustrative mid-range hourly rate, split 25 ways, often comes out to $40–$60 per person all-in — about what two round-trip rideshares cost at midnight surge. The bus also includes zero designated-driver overhead and a fixed return time, two things no rideshare can offer a group.
What a Party Bus or Charter Bus to the Casino Costs (Illustrative Ranges)
Pricing depends on your vehicle choice, total hours needed (including the time the bus is staged during your visit), your pickup location, and the date. As an illustrative planning example — idea-stage ranges only, not current market data or guaranteed pricing:
- Sprinter van (up to 14 passengers): $90–$160/hour
- Small party bus (15–20 passengers): $100–$225/hour
- Mid-size party bus (20–30 passengers): $150–$300/hour
- Large party bus or minibus (30–50 passengers): $225–$400/hour
- Full-size charter bus (40–56 passengers): $130–$260/hour or $1,000–$2,000/day
A typical casino night runs 4 to 6 hours door to door — pickup around 6:30 or 7 PM, return between 1 and 2 AM. As an illustrative planning example: a 25-person group booking a 5-hour party bus rental might see a total around $900–$1,400 all-in, which rounds to roughly $36–$56 per person for both legs of the trip and the built-in return. Compare that to five round-trip rideshares at $25–$40 each way per vehicle, plus post-midnight surge, and the math on the bus typically wins once your headcount clears 15 or so.
Parking at Empire City Casino is free for guests, so there's no separate bus parking fee to build into that number.
Request estimates through Yonkers Party Bus Company to see current pricing for your specific date and group size. The quote form shows all-inclusive pricing so there are no surprises at drop-off.
Types of Group Trips Booked to Empire City Casino & Yonkers Raceway
The casino and raceway combination draws group visits from across Westchester, the Bronx, Manhattan, and northern New Jersey. These are the occasions that show up most often as quote requests on this type of run:
- Birthday casino nights. The most common single occasion. A group of 20 to 35 friends marking a milestone birthday, with the party bus ride in and out building as much energy as the casino floor itself. No one is counting their drinks because they have to drive home.
- Bachelorette and bachelor nights. Empire City Casino is a popular anchor on a Yonkers or Westchester bachelorette itinerary — often paired with dinner in downtown Yonkers or a stop along the way before or after the casino. The party bus handles the full itinerary in one continuous booking.
- Corporate and team outings. Office holiday parties, team-building evenings, and client entertainment nights where the group needs an activity that works for people with different interests. The casino floor handles casual players and the raceway handles fans, and a charter bus keeps the group cohesive from the office or hotel to the door and back.
- Race day groups. Harness racing fans planning a visit around a specific stakes card or feature race night. These groups often build in dinner at the Terrace Dining Room and want to be seated before first post at 7:10 PM, which makes the pickup time and route more specific than a casual casino visit.
- Bus club and community group outings. Social clubs, church groups, senior organizations, and community associations that run regular group outings. A full-size charter bus covers 40 to 56 passengers in one trip, keeps the group together without carpooling, and stages cleanly at the property during the visit.
- Multi-stop evenings. Groups that start with dinner in Yonkers or the Bronx, add the casino as the main stop, and wrap up with a late-night food stop on the way home — all arranged as one continuous itinerary through the booking company.
Tips for Visiting Empire City Casino & Yonkers Raceway
- The casino runs 24 hours. Empire City Casino at MGM Yonkers operates 24 hours a day, every day of the week, so there's no closing-time pressure on your group. The gaming floor stays fully active well past midnight, which is exactly when rideshare surge pricing peaks — another reason a pre-arranged bus return beats calling cars after 1 AM.
- Video lottery terminals, not live table games. New York State law restricts live dealer table games to tribal casinos. Empire City Casino offers slot machines and electronic versions of blackjack, poker, and roulette without live dealers. Most casino night groups don't notice the difference after the first hour, but groups expecting a Las Vegas-style card table atmosphere should know this going in.
- Check the Yonkers Raceway schedule before you commit to a race-night visit. Live harness racing typically runs Tuesday through Saturday evenings with first post around 7:10 PM, but holiday dates and stakes events shift the card. Verify on the official Yonkers Raceway schedule so your group doesn't arrive on a dark night.
- Age requirement: 18 or older for the gaming floor. All guests must be 18 or older to enter the casino. Confirm your group's ages before booking transportation so there are no surprises at the door — especially on birthday casino nights that include younger guests or siblings.
- Dining reservations matter on race nights. The Terrace Dining Room and other on-site food options fill faster on big race cards and weekend evenings. For a group dinner before or during the visit, call ahead rather than walking in and waiting.
- Peak nights run busier than expected. Friday and Saturday evenings, major stakes race cards, and holiday weekends push the casino to its busiest level. The parking lot fills earlier than on a Tuesday, and the approach on Yonkers Avenue slows on exit. For those nights, give yourself a 30-minute buffer on both the inbound pickup and the return window.
- Group reservations at the raceway. For groups of 20 or more coming specifically for the racing, Yonkers Raceway has group dining and seating options. Contacting the venue's group services team in advance is worth the call — it keeps your group seated together rather than scattered across the grandstand on a crowded card night.
Frequently Asked Questions About Renting a Bus to Empire City Casino
Where does a bus drop off at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway?
Bus drop-off is at the main entrance on Yonkers Avenue, where the entrance drive loops through the front of the property. A minibus, party bus, or full-size charter bus pulls through the front-of-house drop zone, unloads the group at the door, and stages in the large on-site surface lot during the visit. Parking is free for all guests, and the lot has room for oversized vehicles without a separate fee.
On high-attendance race nights, confirm the current approach route with the booking company when you reserve.
How much does it cost to rent a party bus to Empire City Casino?
As an illustrative planning example: small party buses (15–20 passengers) run $100–$225/hour; mid-size party buses (20–30 passengers) run $150–$300/hour; and full-size charter buses (40–56 passengers) run $130–$260/hour. A typical 5-hour casino night rental for a group of 25 might come to $900–$1,400 all-in, or roughly $36–$56 per person for both legs. That's often competitive with coordinating multiple round-trip rideshares once midnight surge pricing is factored in.
Request estimates through Yonkers Party Bus Company to see current rates for your specific date and group size.
Does Yonkers Raceway have live racing year-round?
Yonkers Raceway typically runs live harness racing year-round, with most cards on Tuesday through Saturday evenings and first post around 7:10 PM. The schedule shifts for holidays and special events. Always check the official Yonkers Raceway schedule before building your group's visit around a specific race night, so you're not arriving on a dark night.
What is the best pickup time from Manhattan for a 7:10 PM first post?
From a Manhattan pickup, departing around 5:30 to 6:00 PM gives the group comfortable arrival timing before first post — accounting for I-87 North congestion through the Bronx and time to get seated at the grandstand or Terrace Dining Room. From White Plains or southern Westchester, 6:00 to 6:30 PM works on most evenings. On Friday nights, add 30 minutes to those windows: I-87 North reliably backs up between 4 and 7:30 PM, and a bus in that traffic is still better than five cars in it.
Can the bus wait during our visit and pick us up at a specific time?
Yes. The bus is booked as a block of hours, so it stages in the on-site lot during your visit and picks the group up at a pre-set time agreed upon before you go in. Setting the return window in advance — rather than calling the moment you're ready to leave — keeps everyone moving together and avoids the midnight parking-lot regrouping scramble.
Some booking companies also offer flexible standby arrangements for shorter runs; ask about that option when you request estimates.
Is there a train or public bus to Empire City Casino from Manhattan?
Yes, but it comes with trade-offs for groups. Metro-North's Harlem Line runs from Grand Central to Yonkers station, and the Westchester Bee-Line Bus connects from the station to the casino area. For one or two people on a budget who don't mind a transfer, it works.
The problem for groups: the last outbound trains from Yonkers on weeknights run well before 2 AM, which puts a hard cutoff on your casino night. For groups of 10 or more, coordinating departure timing around train schedules after a casino floor empties at midnight is its own logistical challenge — and a party bus or charter bus removes that constraint entirely.
What is the minimum group size to rent a bus to the casino?
The smallest vehicles in the network start around 12 to 14 passengers for Sprinter vans and 15 passengers for party buses. For groups smaller than 10, rideshares are often the more cost-effective call. The bus math starts working clearly in your favor once you reach 15 or more people, where splitting the hourly rate across the group produces a per-person number that beats multiple round-trip rideshares plus surge.
Can we add other stops to the itinerary — dinner before the casino, or a late-night stop after?
Yes — multi-stop itineraries are standard for casino night bookings. Common additions include a dinner stop in downtown Yonkers before heading to the casino, or a late-night food stop on the way home. Include your full itinerary when you request estimates so the booking company scopes the total hours correctly.
The full evening — dinner, casino, raceway, return — is one continuous booking rather than separate trips.
How far in advance should we book a party bus for a casino night?
For most weeknight casino visits, two to three weeks of lead time is enough to find a good vehicle. Weekend evenings — Friday and Saturday — warrant three to four weeks, particularly in spring and early summer when demand overlaps with prom season. For New Year's Eve, holiday weekends, and major race cards that draw big crowds, four to six months is the safer window.
The right vehicle at the right price goes first, so earlier is always better for any Saturday night in peak season.
Are ADA-accessible vehicles available for this run?
Yes. ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the booking network. Note the accessibility requirements when you request estimates so the booking company can match the right vehicle.
Empire City Casino is a fully accessible facility with accessible parking, elevators, and gaming accommodations on-site.
Does the casino have any dress code or items to leave at home?
Empire City Casino does not enforce a formal dress code for the general gaming floor — smart casual is appropriate and fine for most groups. The Terrace Dining Room and any premium dining options may have their own standards for dress on busy evenings; checking with the venue in advance is the right call if your group plans to dine as a unit. Leave oversized bags and outside food and beverages at home; the standard casino policy applies.
Request Estimates for Your Casino Night Bus
Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway is one of the most straightforward group transportation runs in the Yonkers and Westchester market — a single destination, free on-site parking, a 24-hour gaming floor, and live harness racing on most evenings from Tuesday through Saturday. The logistics are simple once the right vehicle is locked in. Yonkers Party Bus Company connects groups to transportation providers serving Yonkers and the broader New York region, covering everything from a 15-passenger party bus for a birthday casino night to a full-size charter bus for a 50-person office outing.
The same transportation network covers nearby group destinations throughout Westchester and the Bronx — whether your group is adding a dinner stop in downtown Yonkers, doing a multi-venue evening that includes Ridge Hill or Westchester County Center, or combining a Yankees game from Yonkers with a post-game casino run. Multi-stop itineraries are easy to scope through the booking company when you request estimates.
Fill out the quote form on this site to compare vehicles and prices from transportation providers serving your date and pickup location. No one in your group draws the short straw. The bus handles every mile, and the night runs on your schedule — not the train's.
