The Major Deegan Expressway at 6:30 PM on a weeknight is nobody's idea of a good time — and the 6:45 PM post time at Yonkers Raceway was practically designed to drop your entire group into the thick of it. Twenty miles from Midtown, sure. But twenty miles on the I-87 northbound corridor when the Bronx is at full choke?
That's an easy 45-to-60-minute crawl before you ever reach the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway parking lot — which is so large it runs its own internal shuttle just to move guests from their cars to the entrance. One bus changes the whole equation. Your group loads up once, the traffic headache belongs to the bus, and everyone walks into the casino or the grandstand together, on time, with zero parking-lot relay involved.
This guide covers the exact drop-off logistics, how the approach roads behave on race nights, which events bring the biggest crowds, and how to find the right size vehicle for your trip through a Yonkers group transportation quote in under a minute.
Why a Party Bus or Charter Bus Rental to Empire City Casino Makes Sense
Here's the thing most groups don't realize until they've done the Yonkers Raceway trip once: parking is free, but it is not easy. The casino complex sprawls across a large footprint, and the self-parking lots stretch far enough from the main entrance that the venue runs a dedicated internal shuttle just to get guests between their cars and the building. So driving yourself means sitting in Major Deegan traffic, hunting for a parking space, then waiting for a parking-lot shuttle — twice, once going in and once coming out after the last race.
A charter bus or party bus to Empire City Casino solves all three legs of that equation in one move: your group rolls up to the entrance together, no shuttle required, and the bus is there for pickup when you're done — no one retracing steps across a floodlit parking lot at 11 PM.
The per-head math makes it easy to justify, too. Split a 40-to-56 passenger charter bus across a group of 40 and you're often looking at $40–$70 a person — competitive with what you'd spend coordinating gas, tolls, and parking across a four-car caravan, none of which involves anyone getting stuck as the designated navigator on the Major Deegan home run. One vehicle, one cost, everyone arrives and leaves together.
For groups headed to a big racing card or a bachelor night on the casino floor, that simplicity is the whole point.
Charter Bus and Party Bus Drop-Off at Empire City Casino
Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway (810 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers, NY 10704) actively courts motorcoach groups — the casino's own transportation page promotes exclusive packages for groups of 12 or more arriving by bus. That means the property is set up for commercial vehicle arrival, and a charter bus or party bus pulling in off Yonkers Avenue will find a facility that expects and accommodates large vehicles.
The main entrance is accessed from Yonkers Avenue, which runs along the front of the complex. Valet parking is available at the Central Avenue and Clark Street entrance — and that curbside zone is where a smaller vehicle like a Sprinter or minibus can drop cleanly. For full-size charter buses, the property has multiple large lots and a parking garage, and the internal access road off Yonkers Avenue is navigable by oversized vehicles.
Because exact staging and commercial vehicle protocols can shift around major race nights, it's worth confirming your specific drop point with the casino's group sales team when you book — call the casino's group sales line ahead of your event date to nail down your bus's arrival plan.
The internal parking lot shuttle — which the casino runs to move self-parkers from the far lots to the entrance — does not apply to a charter bus group. Your bus delivers your group curbside and the whole process skips that middle step. That's what makes a Yonkers Raceway party bus rental different from parking yourself: no shuttle wait, no group getting split across multiple tram cars, no backtracking to a dark lot at the end of the night.
Empire City Casino welcomes motorcoach groups and packages them for parties of 12 or more. The drop-off is off Yonkers Avenue with valet access at Central Avenue and Clark Street — and because staging varies on major race nights, confirming the commercial vehicle lane ahead of your visit keeps everything moving on arrival.
Getting There: Approach Roads, Drive Times, and Where Traffic Gets Ugly
Empire City Casino sits in southern Yonkers, close to the Bronx border, which means it sits at the intersection of two of the metro area's most congested arteries on weekday evenings: I-87 (the Major Deegan Expressway) running north–south, and Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue threading through the local grid. The off-peak drive from Midtown is legitimately fast — about 20 to 25 minutes on a clear run. But the weeknight 6:45 PM post time drops your group right into the peak of the northbound crawl, and what looks like a 25-minute trip on Google Maps at noon can easily stretch past 50 minutes on a Thursday evening.
Saturday racing shifts post time to 3:30 PM, which lands in a different traffic window but still catches weekend afternoon volume on the Deegan.
| From… | Approx. distance | Off-peak drive | Race-night reality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midtown Manhattan | ~18 miles | 20–30 min | 45–65 min (Major Deegan) |
| The Bronx (Mott Haven / Fordham area) | ~10 miles | 15–20 min | 30–45 min |
| White Plains | ~9 miles | 15–20 min | 20–35 min (Cross County Pkwy) |
| New Rochelle | ~10 miles | 15–20 min | 25–35 min |
| Downtown Yonkers | ~3 miles | 8–12 min | 15–20 min |
From Manhattan and the Bronx, the dominant approach is I-87 northbound — the Major Deegan becomes the New York State Thruway above the city line — with the exit at Cross County Parkway (Exit 4) funneling traffic toward Central Park Avenue and the casino from the north and west, while the more direct approach from the south uses local Yonkers Avenue surface roads. The Bronx River Parkway heading north is an alternate from the eastern Bronx, connecting to the Cross County Parkway and coming in from the east. Groups coming from New Jersey cross the George Washington Bridge onto the Trans-Manhattan Expressway and pick up the Deegan northbound.
Parking at Empire City Casino: What Your Group Needs to Know
Free self-parking is available throughout the complex — multiple surface lots plus a parking garage. That's the headline, and it's a genuinely nice perk compared to paying $25 to $40 at a Manhattan venue. But "free" and "easy" are not the same thing when the lots stretch a long way from the entrance.
The casino runs an internal shuttle to move guests between the far parking areas and the main building, which gives you a sense of how spread out the property actually is. If you're arriving in separate cars with a group of 15 or 20 people, you're already coordinating parking spaces plus shuttle timing before you even get inside — and then doing it all in reverse when the last race ends and everyone is heading home.
Valet parking is available for guests who want curbside drop-off at the Central Avenue and Clark Street entrance. It's worth calling the property ahead of your visit to confirm current valet availability and any special procedures around major stakes race cards, which occasionally alter traffic flow around the property. For charter buses and party buses, the Yonkers Avenue main approach handles commercial vehicle access — just confirm your exact staging area when you book your group package with the casino's team.
Live Harness Racing at Yonkers Raceway: The Events That Fill the Place
Yonkers Raceway is not a seasonal track. The 127-year-old standardbred oval runs 236 race days in 2026 — more than any other racetrack in the United States — across five nights per week, per the 2026 season announcement. Regular racing nights carry a 6:45 PM first post; Saturdays shift to 3:30 PM.
That's 80-plus horses competing on a given night, and over $50 million in purses distributed across the year — numbers that explain why this track draws serious harness fans from across the tri-state area and beyond.
Two dates in particular bring the biggest groups and the heaviest traffic patterns around the complex. The MGM Yonkers Trot, scheduled for June 26, 2026, is a $500,000 Grade 1 event for three-year-old trotters — one of the sport's oldest stakes races, running since 1955 and a leg of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing. If you've got a group of racing fans making the trip for the Yonkers Trot, book the bus several weeks in advance; this is one of the dates that genuinely packs the grandstand.
The bigger event is the MGM International Trot on September 12, 2026 — a $1 million Grade 1 race that brings international competitors and a card that also features $2.4 million in New York Sire Stakes finals. The September 12 card goes off at 3:00 PM (first race at noon), and it's also broadcast on FOX Sports 2. It's the single biggest racing day on the Yonkers calendar, and vehicle access around the property reflects that.
Beyond those marquee dates, the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series and the MGM Borgata Pacing Series run early in the season, and the Art Rooney Pace and Messenger Stakes — both Triple Crown races — anchor the mid-year schedule. Any of those nights brings a serious racing crowd and heavier-than-normal traffic approaching the venue off Yonkers Avenue. A Yonkers charter bus rental removes the parking variable from all of it — your group gets dropped at the entrance and the bus handles the congestion on both ends.
Every Option for Getting Your Group to Empire City Casino
A party bus or charter bus rental to Yonkers Raceway isn't automatically right for every group. Here's an honest comparison of how the main options stack up for a group of 15 or more people.
| Option | Cost shape | Arrive together? | Parking situation | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter bus or party bus | One flat rate, split by the group | Yes — one vehicle, one arrival | Drops at entrance — no parking or shuttle needed | Groups of 15–56 from the Bronx, Manhattan, or NJ |
| Minibus | Flat rate, lower than charter bus | Yes — 15–35 passengers | Drops curbside at valet entrance | Mid-size groups, quick corporate outings |
| Rideshare (Uber / Lyft) | Per car each way, surge after events | No — multiple cars, multiple ETAs | No parking, but no group coordination either | Pairs and trios, last-minute |
| Everyone drives | Gas + tolls per car; parking is free | No — caravans split up on the Deegan | Free self-parking + internal shuttle to entrance | Small groups of 1–2 cars |
| Metro-North + Bee-Line / Casino Shuttle | Train fare per person, shuttle free or nominal | Mostly — if everyone catches the same train | No parking — shuttle from Mount Vernon West station | Groups coming from NYC without a vehicle |
For two or three people heading from Midtown, Metro-North's Harlem Line to Mount Vernon West — about 22 minutes from 125th Street — with a transfer to the Bee-Line bus or the casino's own shuttle is a legitimately easy option. The casino runs shuttle service from Mount Vernon West station; confirm the current schedule when you call ahead. But the moment your party grows past a few cars' worth of coordination — separate vehicles, separate parking, separate rideshare fares — the per-head cost of one chartered vehicle starts to look like a bargain.
And nobody has to volunteer as the designated navigator home on the Major Deegan at 11 PM.
What Size Bus Does Your Group Need?
No two casino runs look the same. A 12-person office group heading up for a holiday party has different needs than a 40-person bachelor weekend hitting the Yonkers racing card. Here's how the vehicle lineup breaks down for an Empire City Casino run.
| Vehicle | Seats | Best for | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter Van | Up to ~14 | Small groups, quick runs from the Bronx or Westchester | Compact, easy maneuvering on Yonkers Ave, USB charging |
| 14-Passenger Sprinter Limo | Up to 14 | VIP casino nights, birthday groups, bachelorette parties | Premium leather, LED lighting, tinted windows |
| 25-Passenger Party Bus | ~25 | Mid-size casino group, bachelor or birthday group | Built-in bar setup, color-changing LEDs, Bluetooth sound, flat-panel TVs |
| 15–35 Passenger Minibus | ~15–35 | Corporate groups, efficient point-to-point runs | Powerful A/C, plush reclining seats, overhead storage |
| 40–56 Passenger Charter Bus | Up to 56 | Large fan groups, company outings, Yonkers Trot card parties | Reclining seats, WiFi, power outlets, onboard restroom, undercarriage bays |
The right fit comes down to headcount and what the night looks like on the way up. For a racing-and-casino night where the group wants the energy building from pickup, a 25-to-50 passenger party bus brings a built-in bar setup, color-changing LED lighting, and Bluetooth sound — so the Yonkers Raceway party bus rental experience starts the moment the bus pulls away from the curb, not when you find your seats in the grandstand. For larger groups headed up for a big stakes night, a full-size charter bus holds 56 passengers with undercarriage storage for any gear and an onboard restroom for the ride home.
ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the network — just note it when you request your quote.
Empire City Casino Party Bus and Charter Bus Rental Prices
Partybusyonkers.com makes it fast to check pricing — fill out the quick online form or call 914-638-2880 and you'll have rates in under a minute. There's no single number that covers every trip, because the quote depends on your headcount, how long you need the vehicle, where you're picking up from, and the specific date. To give you a planning baseline: a 15-to-35 passenger minibus runs roughly $200–$275 per hour on weekdays and $200–$275 per hour on weekends; a 25-passenger party bus comes in around $250–$375 per hour depending on day and demand; and a full 40-to-56 passenger charter bus typically falls in the $200–$350 per hour range.
Real pricing moves with the date, vehicle availability, and your specific itinerary — these are planning ranges to give you an idea, not a quote or a guarantee.
The per-head math is where a group rental usually wins. Split a 40-passenger party bus running at $300/hour for a 4-hour evening across 35 passengers and the group share lands around $34 per person — before anyone factors in that nobody is stuck as the designated driver or paying surge pricing on the way home from the Raceway at 11 PM. Check out the Yonkers party bus prices page for more detailed rate breakdowns, or call 914-638-2880 any time — no obligation, no account needed.
A sample trip. To give you an idea: a 28-person group headed to the Yonkers Trot card in June books a 30-passenger party bus. Pickup at 5:30 PM from the South Bronx, at the Empire City Casino entrance by 6:20 PM — 25 minutes before the first post.
The bus stages in the lot during the card. Post-game pickup at 11:00 PM, back in the Bronx by 11:45 PM. A 6-hour rental at that size runs approximately $1,800–$2,300 — around $65–$82 per person for the full round trip, with nobody fighting the Deegan or hunting the far parking lot after the races.
Tips for Your Empire City Casino Visit
- Know the age rules before you go. You need to be 21 or older for the casino gaming floor — slots, electronic blackjack, roulette, and craps. Horse racing and simulcast wagering require only 18 and up. Valid government-issued photo ID is required at the door for both. If anyone in your group is under 21, plan accordingly — they can watch the races but the gaming floor is off-limits.
- Hours are not a concern. Empire City Casino runs daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 AM — one of the longest operating windows of any gaming venue in the metro area. Racing, of course, runs on the posted schedule (6:45 PM most nights, 3:30 PM Saturdays). The casino floor keeps going long after the final race.
- Big racing cards fill the parking lots. Stakes nights like the Yonkers Trot (June 26) and the International Trot (September 12) bring noticeably heavier traffic to Yonkers Avenue and the Central Park Avenue approach. Even with free self-parking, expect the lots to fill in the hours around post time on those dates — which is exactly when having a bus drop your group at the entrance becomes the obvious move instead of a luxury.
- Motorcoach groups get a welcome package. The casino actively packages deals for groups of 12 or more arriving by bus, which can include gaming credits and dining vouchers. Call the group sales line at (914) 968-4200 well in advance of your visit — the better packages for race-night groups tend to go fast around the marquee stakes dates.
- Saturday post time shifted to 3:30 PM in 2026. If your group is heading up for a Saturday afternoon card, plan your pickup window around that earlier post time. A 3:30 PM first race with pickup from the Bronx or Manhattan at 1:30–2:00 PM avoids most of the weekend afternoon Deegan volume.
- The venue does not have on-site hotel rooms. The nearest options include the Hampton Inn & Suites Yonkers and the Courtyard Yonkers Westchester County — both within a few minutes of the casino. Groups staying nearby can easily loop a hotel pickup into the charter bus itinerary.
Who Books a Bus to Empire City Casino
The same curbside drop-off that works for a racing fan group works equally well for every kind of casino outing — what changes is the vehicle and the itinerary. These are the trips that come through most often for this destination.
Bachelor and bachelorette parties. A Yonkers bachelorette party bus rental to Empire City Casino is a popular formula — the casino floor and the racing grandstand cover two completely different vibes in the same venue, and a party bus with LED lighting and sound for the ride makes the whole evening feel like an event from the first pickup. One bus means no one has to volunteer as the sober navigator, and post-night surge pricing never enters the conversation.
Corporate and holiday group outings. The casino's private event spaces and dining options work well for company nights out, and a Yonkers corporate party bus rental brings the whole team up from the Bronx or Manhattan in one comfortable vehicle without anyone coordinating their own transportation or expensing a round of rideshares. A minibus is a particularly clean fit for tighter executive groups — easy to stage curbside at the valet entrance and out the door cleanly after dinner and some races.
Large fan groups for stakes nights. A Yonkers sporting event bus for the Yonkers Trot or the International Trot card makes practical sense: 60,000 people are not descending on the venue like they would a football stadium, but the traffic patterns on the Major Deegan and Yonkers Avenue around those stakes nights are real enough that arriving in one vehicle is meaningfully easier than four or five cars trying to meet at the same parking lot entrance. A full charter bus handles groups of up to 56 comfortably, and the undercarriage storage takes care of any gear.
Birthday and milestone groups. A Yonkers birthday party bus to the casino — with the group aboard a 25-or-more passenger party bus — is a format that works because the energy of the party bus and the energy of the raceway grandstand complement each other in a way that a dinner reservation alone doesn't. The bus arrives in style, the group has the races as a shared experience, and no one is watching the clock because of early-morning commitments involving a car.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does a charter bus or party bus drop off at Empire City Casino?
The main approach to Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway is off Yonkers Avenue, and the complex has multiple lots and a parking garage that accommodate large vehicles. Valet access uses the Central Avenue and Clark Street entrance. The casino actively packages motorcoach group arrivals, so calling its group sales line ahead of your visit — especially for a big racing card — is the reliable way to confirm your exact commercial vehicle staging area for the date.
What is the minimum age at Empire City Casino?
21 and over for casino gaming (slots, electronic blackjack, craps, roulette). 18 and over for horse racing and simulcast wagering. Valid government-issued photo ID is required for both.
This is one of the more visitor-relevant details to sort out before your group arrives — anyone in your party under 21 can watch the live harness racing but cannot access the gaming floor.
What hours is Empire City Casino open?
The casino is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 AM. Live harness racing runs on the posted schedule: 6:45 PM first post on most race nights, 3:30 PM on Saturdays in 2026. Race nights are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday.
How far is Empire City Casino from Manhattan?
About 18 miles from Midtown, which translates to 20–30 minutes off-peak and 45–65 minutes in weekday evening traffic on the Major Deegan. The 6:45 PM race-night post time aligns directly with the northbound rush, so plan your departure window accordingly — or let the bus absorb that stretch entirely.
Is parking really free at Empire City Casino?
Yes, self-parking in the surface lots and parking garage is free for guests. The catch is that the complex is large enough that the casino runs its own internal parking shuttle to move guests between the far lots and the entrance. If your group drives separately, that shuttle is part of the equation going in and coming out.
A charter bus bypasses the whole internal relay — it drops at the entrance directly.
Can a party bus pick up from multiple locations on the way to Empire City Casino?
Yes — multi-stop pickups are standard. A Bronx group might pick up at a single meet point in Mott Haven, swing through a midpoint in Riverdale, and be at the casino in one run. The itinerary gets built around your headcount, start points, and desired arrival time when you request your quote.
Call 914-638-2880 to work out a specific pickup plan.
How much does a party bus to Yonkers Raceway cost?
Empire City Casino party bus rental pricing depends on group size, hours needed, pickup location, and the specific date — a major stakes night like the Yonkers Trot or International Trot may price differently than a standard weeknight race card. As a planning baseline, a 25-passenger party bus runs roughly $250–$375 per hour; a full charter bus comes in around $200–$350 per hour. Fill out the quick form or call 914-638-2880 for your specific trip — pricing comes back in under a minute, no account needed.
When should I book a bus to Empire City Casino?
For regular racing nights, two to three weeks of lead time is usually workable. For the Yonkers Trot (June 26) and the International Trot (September 12), book earlier — demand for party buses and charter buses spikes around those marquee events, and the best vehicles go fast. If your group is locking in a casino night around either of those dates, getting your quote confirmed a month or more out is the move that keeps your options open.
Does the casino offer group packages for motorcoach arrivals?
Yes. Empire City Casino packages exclusive deals for motor coach groups of 12 or more, which can include gaming credits and food vouchers. Contact the casino's group sales team to ask about the current program for your date — and find your transportation through Partybusyonkers.com separately so you can compare vehicle options and pricing across multiple Yonkers-area bus companies through a single quote request.
What's the public transit option if some guests aren't on the bus?
Metro-North's Harlem Line runs from Grand Central Terminal to Mount Vernon West station — roughly 22 minutes from 125th Street. From Mount Vernon West, the Westchester Bee-Line bus serves Yonkers Avenue, and the casino operates shuttle service to the station. The shuttle is on its own schedule and the station is unstaffed, so confirm timing with the casino before guests travel that way.
It works well for pairs; for a group trying to stay together, a chartered vehicle is cleaner.
Book Your Yonkers Raceway Party Bus Today
Whether it's a Yonkers Trot stakes night in June, a winter casino evening, or the $1 million International Trot card in September, Partybusyonkers.com makes it easy to find and compare party buses, charter buses, and minibuses from a large network of bus companies serving Yonkers and the wider metro area. Fill out the quick online form or call 914-638-2880 any time — you'll have pricing for your specific group size and date in under a minute, no account needed, no obligation. Your group arrives at the entrance together.
The bus handles the Major Deegan. Call 914-638-2880 to get your quote.
Also planning a group trip to a concert venue or another Westchester destination? The Westchester County Center transportation guide covers drop-off and parking for events at that venue across town.
