New York / Long Island / Nassau County
Group transportation built around the Nassau Hub: Coliseum event nights, Hofstra and Nassau Community College trips, RXR Plaza offsites and airport runs to JFK and LaGuardia. We book coaches, mini buses and Sprinter vans for Uniondale groups of 8 to 500, with drivers who plan around the Long Island parkways that buses are not allowed to use.
| Time | Destination | Vehicle | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06:40 | JFK Terminal 4 | Mini bus | On time |
| 08:15 | Hofstra to Citi Field | Coach | Boarding |
| 10:30 | North Fork wineries | Sprinter | On time |
| 13:00 | Museum Row field trip | School bus | On time |
| 18:45 | Coliseum, Gate 20 loop | Shuttle | Staging |
Illustrative schedule. Every trip is private and timed to your group.
On this page
Uniondale covers under six square miles in the middle of Nassau County, yet on a busy weekend it can draw more visitors than most Long Island villages have residents. The reason is what sits inside its borders. The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum stands on the old Mitchel Field airbase. Hofstra University's north campus and part of its south campus are here, along with Nassau Community College. The RXR Plaza towers and the Long Island Marriott anchor one of the island's densest office and meeting districts. Locals call the whole cluster the Nassau Hub.
That mix creates a very specific transportation problem. Crowds arrive in waves, parking fills fast, and there is no Long Island Rail Road station inside Uniondale itself, so train riders usually connect through Hempstead, Westbury or Mineola and then need a ride for the last few miles. Public NICE buses serve the Coliseum on the N70 and N71 routes, which works for individuals but not for a 40-person team, a wedding party or a department heading to an offsite.
A Uniondale charter bus rental fills that gap. One vehicle, one driver, one schedule you control. This page is written for the people who actually plan those trips: athletic directors at Uniondale High School, Hofstra student life staff, event planners at RXR Plaza, parents organizing a Sweet 16 in East Garden City, and anyone bringing a group to a Coliseum show. If you are planning across the wider region, our Long Island charter bus page covers Nassau and Suffolk as a whole, and the New York City charter bus page covers the five boroughs.
Below you will find the parkway rule every Uniondale bus trip is built around, a fleet guide sized for local groups, notes on the curbs that work and the ones that do not, airport timings, realistic pricing factors, and a full FAQ.
Uniondale sits between two of Long Island's best-known roads: the Meadowbrook State Parkway runs along its eastern side past the Coliseum, and the Southern State Parkway crosses just to the south. Both are off limits to charter buses, school buses and other commercial vehicles. The overpasses on these 1920s and 1930s parkways were built for cars, and some clear less than ten feet.
This matters more than it sounds. A phone map will happily send a car from Hofstra to Jones Beach or JFK by parkway in minutes. A coach has to use commercial routes such as Hempstead Turnpike, Old Country Road, the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway. The consequences of getting this wrong are serious: in 2018 an out-of-state charter bus carrying students from JFK struck a Southern State overpass after the driver followed a non-commercial GPS, as ABC7 reported.
Every Uniondale trip we quote is routed on bus-legal roads from the start, and the drive times on this page already reflect that. If your itinerary has a tight window, ask us for the planned route in writing. It is also why we suggest reading how tall a charter bus is before you pick a venue with a covered entrance.
| Trip | What a car GPS suggests | What your coach driver uses |
|---|---|---|
| Uniondale to JFK | Southern State to Belt Parkway, both closed to buses | Hempstead Turnpike or Sunrise Highway west, then commercial approaches to the airport |
| Coliseum to Midtown | Northern State to Grand Central Parkway | Long Island Expressway to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel or a bridge crossing |
| Hofstra to Jones Beach | Meadowbrook Parkway south | A specific permitted approach planned by dispatch; confirm access details for your date when you book |
Headcount decides most of it, but not all. Luggage for an airport run, instrument cases for a band, or a tight hotel canopy can push you up or down a size. The bars show typical seating on a 0 to 72 scale; exact capacity is confirmed on your quote. Browse every model on our vehicles page.
The executive pick for RXR Plaza client pickups, bridal parties heading from a Garden City salon to the ceremony, and small airport groups. Low enough roofline for most hotel entrances.
The workhorse for Hofstra club teams, church groups and 25-person office outings. Easier to stage on campus drives and residential streets than a full coach. Read our mini bus seating guide before you finalize the count.
Perimeter seating and lighting for birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette nights and post-concert rides home. Not the right tool for long highway legs with luggage; see charter bus versus party bus.
Built for loops rather than long hauls: Marriott to Coliseum on expo days, remote parking to a wedding venue, or a campus move-in circuit. Wide doors keep boarding quick when you run the same route every 15 minutes.
More legroom and a quieter cabin for board retreats, investor site tours and leadership trips from the Hub to Manhattan or the Hamptons. Pairs well with our corporate charter service.
The budget choice for short local runs: Museum Row, Eisenhower Park, a district-wide assembly. The top of the range assumes three small children per seat; adults fit far fewer. Compare the options in charter bus versus school bus.
Motorcoach comfort with under-floor luggage bays, a restroom on most models, and the range for Boston, Philadelphia or Washington. The default for varsity teams, tour groups and airport runs with real suitcases. Our 55-passenger guide covers the details.
Between sizes? Read what size charter bus you need, or ask us to quote two options side by side. For 60 or more people, two vehicles often board faster than one oversized plan.
A 45-foot coach needs room to pull in, open its luggage bays and pull out without blocking traffic. Some Uniondale addresses make that easy; others need a phone call first. The more bars, the more coordination to do ahead of time. Our pickup and drop-off guide explains the general rules.
The Coliseum's designated drop-off and pickup zone is the semi-circle outside Gate 20, and the lot usually opens two hours before doors. Arriving early is easy; leaving is the hard part, so agree on a meeting point before the show. Check the Coliseum visitor page for event-specific changes.
The campus straddles Hempstead Turnpike, with the north campus in Uniondale and the south campus linked by the pedestrian Unispan. Name the exact building and lot, and tell campus Public Safety a bus is coming. "Meet at Hofstra" is not a pickup point.
Large surface lots make NCC one of the easiest places in the Hub to stage a coach. Pick a lot number, avoid the first week of a semester when lots fill early, and post the lot on your sign-up sheet.
Plenty of pavement, but several entrances and a security desk. Tell us which tower and which door, and ask building management whether a coach may idle at the front or should wait in the parking field.
On James Doolittle Boulevard, steps from the Coliseum and Museum Row. Confirm whether the entrance canopy clears a full-size coach. If not, board at the lot edge and let a porter move bags.
The Cradle of Aviation Museum and the Long Island Children's Museum see school groups every weekday, so bus drop-offs are routine. Book your group entry time first, then set the bus schedule around it.
District buses own the curb at arrival and dismissal. Schedule charters outside those windows and have the athletic or main office confirm where a coach can stand. Our field trip service works directly with school offices.
Parked cars on both sides and tight corners make home pickups slow. For birthdays and family trips, ask a nearby church, school or shopping center for permission to use its lot, and walk guests over.
Ratings reflect typical conditions. Event days, construction and weather can change any curb, so we confirm on the week of your trip.
The Coliseum still fills up for concerts, Long Island Nets basketball, family shows, graduations and trade expos in its exhibition hall. Parking is priced per event and the Hempstead Turnpike approach backs up quickly, which is why groups from across Nassau, Queens and Suffolk book a concert and festival bus instead of convoying.
This timeline is the plan we build for a typical 8 PM show. Shift it for matinees or expos. And if your group is actually headed to see the Islanders, note that the team now plays at UBS Arena in Elmont, about nine miles west; the same playbook applies there with an earlier departure.
For general tips on show-night group travel, see our concert planning guide.
Send names and a group leader's cell number. Anyone missing at departure gets one call, then the bus rolls.
From elsewhere in Nassau, 30 minutes is usually enough. From Queens or western Suffolk, leave closer to 5:30 because buses stay off the parkways.
Before the main arrival wave. The driver shows the group where the bus will be after the show and hands out a return time card.
The coach moves to its assigned area or a nearby holding spot. Drivers must take rest time, so the bus is not an open locker during the show.
Groups that leave during the last song beat the parking-lot queue by 20 minutes or more. Decide before the trip whether your group will do that.
Leader counts heads on board. A single late rider can cost the whole group a place in the exit line.
One return stop is fastest. Multiple drop-offs are possible; add about 10 minutes for each. See multiple-stop planning.
Two colleges share Uniondale's map, and together they generate more group trips than anything else in the hamlet: away games, orientation days, service projects, Greek life formals and study trips into the city. Our college and university charter program handles invoicing to departments, student organizations and athletics offices.
A private university whose campus has hosted three presidential debates, Hofstra runs a steady calendar of athletics, admissions and alumni events that all need buses.
Part of the SUNY system, NCC serves a commuter student body, so group trips are usually day trips that start and end in its big parking fields.
Booking through a college office? Have your purchase order, certificate of insurance request and the exact campus lot ready when you ask for a quote. It usually cuts approval time in half. For graduation week, book early; our graduation transportation guide explains why May fills so fast on Long Island.
Before it was a sports and shopping district, much of this ground was Mitchel Field, an Army air base that closed in 1961. A few miles away, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in 1927 on his way to Paris. That aviation history is why a row of museums now lines Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, directly across from the Coliseum.
For schools anywhere in Nassau, Queens or western Suffolk, it is one of the easiest field trip destinations on Long Island: short drive, flat parking, and staff who handle bus groups daily.
Dozens of aircraft and spacecraft, including a Grumman-built lunar module, plus the JetBlue Sky Theater Planetarium for dome shows. Plan a group visit.
Works for: grades 3 to 12, STEM clubs, scout troops
Hands-on galleries and a theater program designed for young learners, with scheduled time slots for school groups. See group options.
Works for: pre-K to grade 4, day camps
Fire safety education and historic apparatus in a compact building next door, easy to pair with a Cradle visit on the same bus booking.
Works for: early grades, community groups
Book your museum entry slot first, then the bus. Two museums in one day is realistic because they share a campus, so the bus can stay parked between visits and you pay for one trip rather than two. For younger children, a school bus keeps costs down; for longer days that add Jones Beach or a lunch stop, a coach with a restroom is worth it. See our museum trip guide and planetarium field trip tips, and ask about STEM industry tours that combine the Cradle with a local employer visit.
Uniondale is one of Long Island's larger office addresses. The RXR Plaza towers house law firms, banks, insurers and regional headquarters; the Long Island Marriott next door offers 18 meeting rooms and a Grand Ballroom of roughly 9,720 square feet; and the Coliseum's exhibition hall hosts trade shows on a much bigger scale. All three sit within a few minutes of each other, which makes Uniondale a natural base for multi-venue corporate programs.
What companies here book most often is not glamorous: airport pickups for visiting teams, a coach to a client site in Manhattan, a shuttle between a hotel block and an expo floor. Getting those right is mostly about timing and paperwork, which our corporate charter team handles with invoicing, certificates of insurance and a single point of contact.
Running something bigger? See convention shuttles for expo loops and employee shuttle services for daily or seasonal commuter routes.
| Hub scenario | Usual vehicle | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Board or leadership retreat | Executive coach or Sprinter | Quiet cabin, Wi-Fi, one pickup at the tower door. Our board retreat guide covers the details. |
| Expo at the Coliseum hall | Shuttle bus loop | Marriott to exhibit hall every 15 to 20 minutes. See trade show transportation. |
| Town hall across offices | Coaches from each site | Stagger arrivals so the lobby does not jam. Read multi-office town halls. |
| Parking lot resurfacing | Shuttle bus or mini bus | Remote lot loop for the duration of the work. See temporary parking closures. |
| Awards dinner in Manhattan | Full-size coach | One departure, one return, no one driving after the bar. Read award ceremony transportation. |
| Recruiting or campus day | Mini bus | Hofstra and NCC career fairs are next door. See recruitment day planning. |
The same bus can serve a church choir on Sunday and a sales team on Monday, but the planning is different each time. Here is how we approach the groups we hear from most in and around the 11553 area.
Uniondale district schools and nearby private schools heading to the Bronx Zoo, the Intrepid or a science center. Chaperone seating, roster checks and early returns before dismissal.
High school varsity, travel soccer and college squads. Coaches with bays for bags and sticks, timed so players arrive loose, not rushed.
Uniondale's congregations travel to retreats, conventions and Sunday fellowship events. Accessible options for older members on request.
Guest shuttles between hotel blocks near the Hub and venues across Nassau and the North Shore, with late return runs after the reception.
Sweet 16s, milestone birthdays, reunions and memorial gatherings, where one vehicle keeps a family together and on schedule.
Visiting groups staying at the Marriott who want Manhattan, the Hamptons or North Fork wine country without renting cars.
JFK, LaGuardia, MacArthur and Newark runs for teams, choirs and corporate visitors, with luggage space planned up front.
Scheduled loops for hotels and event planners who need to move guests to the Coliseum, Hofstra or Roosevelt Field.
Brooklyn, Manhattan and Cape Liberty terminals, with bags loaded once at home and unloaded at the pier.
County agencies, veterans' groups and honor flights, with the documentation public buyers need.
See every service on our group transportation page.
Uniondale is one of the better places on Long Island to start an airport run. JFK and LaGuardia are both close, and MacArthur is an easy option for domestic flights heading east. The times below are for a coach on bus-legal roads and are planning estimates, not promises; peak means weekday rush hours and holiday Fridays.
| Airport | Approx. distance | Off-peak | Peak | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFKQueens | 15 mi | 35 to 50 min | 60 to 90 min | The most common Uniondale transfer. Give us the terminal and airline; terminal construction changes where coaches can load, and we check current rules the week of travel. |
| LaGuardiaQueens | 20 mi | 40 to 55 min | 60 to 95 min | Coaches reach it by the Long Island Expressway rather than the Grand Central Parkway. Plan the arrival pickup at the designated bus area, not the car curb. |
| Long Island MacArthurRonkonkoma | 33 mi | 45 to 60 min | 70 to 90 min | Smaller and calmer, which makes it a good fit for senior groups and teams on domestic carriers. |
| Newark LibertyNew Jersey | 45 mi | 80 to 100 min | 2 hours or more | Only worth it for specific international flights. Budget for bridge or tunnel tolls and a long cushion; see who pays for tolls. |
A Sprinter carries 12 people but not 12 large suitcases. Tell us bag counts, golf clubs or instrument cases. Our luggage capacity guide has the numbers.
Share flight numbers so the driver adjusts to early or late landings. If your flight slips badly, read what happens when a flight is delayed.
Visiting teams often land at JFK, check in at the Marriott and go straight to a Hofstra facility. We quote that as one itinerary. See our airport and hotel transfer guide.
Most Uniondale charters fall into three rings. The inner ring is under 15 miles: Eisenhower Park, Roosevelt Field, Bethpage State Park, UBS Arena and Jones Beach State Park. These are hourly bookings where minimums matter more than mileage.
The middle ring covers New York City and North Jersey. Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Midtown theaters and MetLife Stadium are all comfortable round trips, but bridge and tunnel tolls and event-night traffic shape the price. Our city tour guide and the stadium trip guide help with both.
The outer ring is where Long Island gets interesting for groups: North Fork wineries (see planning a wine tour weekend), Montauk, Six Flags Great Adventure, Philadelphia and, as overnight trips, Boston and Washington. Longer days run into federal driver-hour limits, so a same-day Boston round trip usually needs a second driver or an overnight. Read how many hours a driver can drive before you set the schedule.
Looking for ideas rather than logistics? Start with top group travel ideas in New York.
Rounded road distances on bus-legal routes. Your quote uses the exact addresses.
Local trips are priced mostly by the hour with a daily minimum; longer trips blend hours, mileage and driver costs. Uniondale's position just outside the city helps: many trips avoid Manhattan congestion entirely, while airport and stadium runs stay short. What pushes a quote up or down is fairly predictable.
| Sprinter van | $130 to $210 |
|---|---|
| Mini bus | $150 to $240 |
| Shuttle or school bus | $120 to $220 |
| Full-size coach | $190 to $320 |
Planning figures only, not a price list. Most local bookings carry a 4 to 5 hour minimum; tolls, parking and driver gratuity may be separate. Your written quote is the only number that counts. See how charter pricing works.
Before you compare quotes, read what is included in a charter bus quote and hidden fees to watch for. Splitting the bill with friends? Here is a fair way to do it. And if your date is flexible, the cheapest day to rent can make a real difference.
General advice only goes so far. These are the kinds of requests we plan for groups in the Hub, with the reasoning behind each choice. Names are generic; the logistics are real.
The request. A high school marching band director asked for one large bus. With 72 people plus uniforms, sousaphones and drum cases, a single coach would have meant instruments in the aisle, which is not allowed.
The plan. Two 56-seat coaches, one for brass and percussion with the larger cases under the floor, one for woodwinds, color guard and chaperones. Departure at 6:30 AM from the school lot, well before any weekend district activity, routed on the Long Island Expressway and across Staten Island rather than through Manhattan.
Why it works. Loading splits by section, so the band is unloaded and warming up 20 minutes sooner. Our marching band transportation guide covers the loading plan in detail.
The request. A university office needed arrivals from JFK and LaGuardia collected across a Thursday to Saturday window, dropped at a hotel block near the Coliseum, then shuttled to campus events.
The plan. Airport pickups batched into set windows by flight arrival data, a shuttle loop between hotel and campus every 20 minutes during event hours, and a mini bus on standby for stragglers and late flights.
Why it works. Batching keeps the bus full instead of chasing single arrivals. See airport transfer planning for batch window math.
The request. A firm in the RXR Plaza towers wanted a team-building day at two vineyards and a late lunch, with nobody driving afterward.
The plan. Departure at 9:30 AM from the tower entrance, about 90 minutes out on the Expressway, two vineyard stops booked in advance for groups, lunch in between, and a 5:00 PM start home to beat the worst of the westbound traffic.
Why it works. A weekday date costs less and vineyards welcome groups more readily than on Saturdays. Our team-building event guide has more ideas.
Bus demand on Long Island follows the school year, the wedding season and the event calendar at the Coliseum and nearby arenas. Use this as a rough guide to how far ahead to book. High means reserve 8 to 12 weeks out; moderate, 4 to 6 weeks; low, a couple of weeks is often enough.
Long Island Nets home games, ski trips upstate and the best rates of the year.
Winter break ski days and college team travel. Build a snow buffer into the schedule.
Spring break airport runs from the colleges and parade trips into the city.
Spring sports seasons, college tours and the first big school field trips.
Proms, college commencements and the Memorial Day air show crowds at Jones Beach.
High school graduations, weddings and end-of-year class trips all on the same weekends.
Summer camps, beach concerts and ballgames at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium.
Camp returns, move-in weekends at Hofstra and the start of US Open trips to Flushing.
Back-to-school, corporate kickoffs and conferences. Demand climbs after Labor Day.
Fall foliage tours, peak wedding Saturdays, homecomings and pumpkin-picking trips east.
Thanksgiving airport transfers and the first holiday show trips into Manhattan.
Office holiday parties and holiday lights tours; Friday nights go first.
For more detail, see how far in advance to book, booking during peak season and our Northeast fall foliage trip guide. Winter travelers should read winter charter planning.
Any company can say it is safe. For a bus full of students or employees leaving Uniondale, you should be able to verify it. Interstate passenger carriers are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and each operator's authority, insurance filing and inspection record is public on the FMCSA SAFER system.
We assign vehicles from operators that hold active authority and the required insurance, and we share the carrier details on request so your school business office or risk manager can check them. Our full standards are on the safety commitment page.
For Long Island specifically, the parkway rule above is the biggest local safety factor. Drivers working Uniondale trips use commercial routing, and we build that into every itinerary rather than leaving it to a phone app.
Going deeper? Read how the FMCSA regulates charter safety and red flags when booking.
Booking a bus in Uniondale takes about as long as your group takes to agree on a date. Here is the sequence, and what you need at each step. New to this? Start with renting a charter bus for the first time.
Date, headcount, pickup address in Uniondale and each stop. The quote form takes two minutes.
We price the right vehicle and, when it helps, one size up or down. Use our guide to comparing charter quotes.
Review the refund and cancellation policy, sign, and the vehicle is held for your date.
A week out we lock the itinerary, driver contact, pickup spot notes and the bus-legal route.
The driver arrives early, the group boards, and you have one number to call all day. Afterward, see our tipping guide.
A Uniondale booking rarely stops at the hamlet line. We regularly pick up in Hempstead, Garden City, East Meadow, Roosevelt, Westbury, Mineola, Merrick, Freeport and Levittown for the same trips, and there is no extra planning needed for any of them.
Heading beyond central Nassau, or starting somewhere else? These pages cover the rest of the metro area with their own local guidance.
Picked from our blog for the trips Uniondale groups book most. Each one answers a question we hear on quote calls every week.
More guides on the Charter Buses USA blog, and quick answers on our general FAQ page.
Straight answers to the questions Uniondale organizers ask before they book. Tap a question to open it.
Don't see yours? The main FAQ page covers general policies, or contact our team directly.
Local Uniondale trips are usually priced by the hour with a 4 to 5 hour minimum. As a planning guide, New York metro rates run roughly $130 to $210 an hour for a Sprinter van and $190 to $320 for a full-size coach. Date, vehicle, tolls and wait time all change the total, so your written quote is the figure to budget from.
No. Long Island parkways, including the Meadowbrook, Southern State and Northern State, prohibit buses and other commercial vehicles because of low overpasses. Uniondale charters use roads such as Hempstead Turnpike, Old Country Road, the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway, and our drive time estimates already account for that.
The Coliseum's designated drop-off and pickup area is the semi-circle outside Gate 20. The parking lot generally opens two hours before doors. Check the venue's visitor page for event-specific changes, and agree on a post-show meeting point with your driver before the event starts.
For May, June, October and December weekends, book 8 to 12 weeks ahead, because proms, graduations, weddings and holiday parties compete for the same vehicles. For weekday trips in quieter months, two to four weeks is often enough. Last-minute requests are worth a call, since cancellations do open up.
Up to about 14 people fits a Sprinter van, 18 to 30 a mini bus, and 47 to 56 a full-size coach. Add a size if you have heavy luggage, instruments or sports equipment. For more than 56 people, two vehicles usually work better than trying to squeeze everyone into one.
Yes. JFK is about 15 miles away and LaGuardia about 20, with typical off-peak coach times of 35 to 55 minutes. We also serve Long Island MacArthur and Newark. Share flight numbers and bag counts so we can size the vehicle and track arrivals.
Yes, and we do it often. Give us the exact building and lot, not just the campus name, and let Hofstra Public Safety know a bus is expected. The campus spans both sides of Hempstead Turnpike, so a precise meeting point saves time on the day.
Yes. On hourly bookings the driver stays with the vehicle nearby and brings it back at your agreed time. The bus is not a secure locker during the wait, and drivers need rest breaks on long days, so plan any mid-event access in advance. More detail is in can a charter bus wait during my event.
Accessible vehicles with lifts can be arranged with advance notice. Tell us how many riders use wheelchairs or mobility devices when you request a quote, because lift-equipped vehicles are limited and should be reserved early. See bringing a wheelchair on a charter bus.
Light snacks and drinks are usually fine on coaches. Alcohol rules depend on the vehicle, the operator and the ages of passengers, and it is never allowed on school or youth trips. Ask when you book, and read our alcohol policy guide before anyone packs a cooler.
Yes. Pickups in Hempstead, Garden City, East Meadow, Roosevelt, Westbury, Mineola and other central Nassau communities are handled the same way as Uniondale trips. Many groups combine a stop in Uniondale with one in a neighboring town.
Yes. The Islanders play at UBS Arena in Elmont, about nine miles west of Uniondale. We plan those trips like a Coliseum event night, with an earlier departure for traffic on Hempstead Turnpike and a set post-game meeting point.
Quotes include the vehicle, a professional driver and fuel for the planned itinerary. Tolls, parking fees, driver lodging on overnight trips and gratuity may be listed separately. Read the line items; our guide to what is not included explains each one.
Use the online quote form or call +1 (308) 304-6668. Share your date, headcount, pickup address, stops and return time. Quote requests are answered around the clock, and you can change the details before you sign.
Send the date, headcount and pickup spot. We will come back with the right vehicle, a bus-legal route and a clear written price, usually the same day. No obligation and no pressure to book.
