Nearby to the Osceola AMTRAK station, is the Lakeside Casino.
The obvious idea is that, during the 40-minute dwell time while waiting for AMTRAK, the bus could make a secondary stop at the casino.
The bus must arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled train departure, and depart at least 15 minutes after the scheduled train arrival. This is because we don't want to risk people missing a connection because of a delayed train, and we don't want people to have to rush off the train.
Read More ...
Lakeside Hotel Casino is located in Osceola, Iowa, approximately 35 miles south of Des Moines off Interstate 35. Here are the key details:
Size and Facilities: The casino features a 37,500 square foot gaming floor with over 600 slot machines and several table games including blackjack, craps, and poker
Accommodations: 150 hotel rooms with amenities like free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and lake views for some rooms
Dining: Features restaurants including Heartland Café (buffet service) and Lakeside Express Cafe
Additional Amenities: Indoor pool, fitness center, RV park with 47 fully equipped sites
Shuttle Service Information
Regarding your question about Lakeside Casino potentially operating their own shuttle to Des Moines:
Existing Shuttle Services: Lakeside Casino does have a free property shuttle service (as mentioned in the RV park information), but based on my research, they do not currently operate a regular shuttle service to/from Des Moines
Costs for Casino to Operate Des Moines Shuttle:
Based on charter bus pricing in Iowa, operating a daily shuttle service would cost the casino approximately:
$150-260 per hour for a standard bus (15-60 passengers)
$110-160 per hour for a shuttle bus (15-30 passengers)
These rates are typically higher on weekends ($270+ per hour)
Annual Costs: If they were to operate a daily shuttle service (one round-trip):
Approximately $300-500 per day for the round-trip (3-4 hours total)
Annual cost: $110,000-180,000 plus driver salaries, maintenance, and insurance
Once I spell it out in more detail ⚙️ ( bus leaves Des Moines 630AM, arrives Osceola 720AM; Amtrak is there at 740AM; bus leaves Osceola 8AM, arrives Des Moines 850AM. While the bus is waiting, it could drop-off and pick-up passengers at the casino, in addition to the AMTRAK station. There would be several buses per day; 2 that connect to AMTRAK.) it starts to understand 🔥 ( or, give the appearance of understanding) :
During the 40-minute waiting period (7:20-8:00AM), your bus could efficiently serve both the AMTRAK station and Lakeside Casino by:
Drop-off/Pick-up Service: After dropping AMTRAK passengers at the station, your bus could make a quick trip to Lakeside Casino (approximately 3 miles from the AMTRAK station) to drop off morning casino visitors from Des Moines and pick up any overnight casino guests heading to Des Moines
Partnership Value: For this specific arrangement, Lakeside Casino might pay:
Per-Stop Fee: $25-50 per stop (higher for morning stops that deliver potential full-day visitors)
Monthly Service: $1,500-2,500 per month for daily scheduled service
Annual Agreement: $15,000-25,000 for a guaranteed annual contract
Added Value Components:
Casino could provide small gaming credits to bus passengers ($5-10)
Bus service could distribute casino promotional materials
Optional announcements about casino promotions on the bus
This arrangement maximizes your existing route's efficiency by utilizing the waiting time to serve an additional revenue-generating destination. Since your buses would be making 3-5 trips daily (not just the morning AMTRAK connection), the casino would benefit from multiple delivery times for potential customers throughout the day.