blue lakes charter

What blue lakes charter does

Blue Lakes Charters & Tours is a privately held, family-owned (Cupp Family) motorcoach charter and tour operator headquartered in Clio, Michigan, incorporated in 1989 with continuous family involvement in the motorcoach industry of nearly 50 years. The company operates the largest charter motorcoach fleet in Michigan with 58 motorcoaches, including newly added 2023 Van Hool CX45s coaches featuring enclosed parcel racks, custom seating, 15-inch monitors, multimedia systems, and 110V outlets. Vehicle configurations range from 25-passenger shuttle buses to 56-passenger full-size motorcoaches with onboard restrooms, HD televisions, USB power outlets, climate control, and exterior luggage storage. The fleet is maintained in-house by 8 certified technicians with a combined 160 years of experience operating under a 7000-mile preventive inspection cycle. Distribution is anchored by 7 physical offices across Michigan (Clio HQ, Traverse City, Saginaw, Flint, Lansing, Detroit, and Perrysburg) plus a toll-free booking line, a dedicated online booking portal at booking.bluelakes.com, and a driver elog portal.

Name

blue lakes charter

Legal name

Blue Lakes Charters & Tours

Website

https://bluelakes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Blue Lakes Charters & Tours is a family-owned Michigan motorcoach charter and tour company operating the state's largest fleet of 58 luxury buses, serving schools, casinos, churches, corporate clients, and leisure tour groups across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter Bus & Motorcoach Transportation Services

NAICS

Charter Bus Industry (48551)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Motorcoach Charter (Private Group Hire) (THAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Charter bus rentals
• Motorcoach transportation
• Group tour services
• Casino trip packages
• Shuttle bus services

Headquarters

HQ city

Clio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charter Bus Rentals: Hourly or distance-based charter services for groups traveling to destinations across the US and Canada. Customers pay per trip based on distance, duration, and vehicle type.
2. Package Tours: Pre-packaged tour experiences including Cedar Point trips, Winery Tours, Shopping Express, and Casino Express packages that bundle transportation with destination access.
3. Casino Express Services: Regularly scheduled casino trips to Michigan casinos including Firekeepers Casino Hotel and Soaring Eagle Casino Resort, with included rewards/free play and food vouchers.
4. Line Runs & Shuttles: Scheduled shuttle services for various events and services including Cedar Point school trips and other recurring transportation needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blue Lakes Charters & Tours operates Michigan's largest charter motorcoach fleet (58 coaches), providing group transportation services across the US and Canada. The company sells hourly/distance-based charter bus rentals, pre-packaged tour experiences (Cedar Point trips, Winery Tours, Shopping Express to Chicago), recurring Casino Express trips to Michigan casinos, and full-service tour planning assistance. Services include luxury coaches ranging from 25 to 56 passengers with onboard restrooms, HD TVs, and modern amenities.

Product overview

Blue Lakes Charters & Tours operates a fleet of modern luxury motorcoaches offering charter bus rental services nationwide. The company provides a range of vehicle sizes (25-56 passenger capacity) including 56 Passenger Buses, 40 Passenger Buses, 34 Passenger Buses, and shuttle vehicles at their Traverse City location. Their core services include Casino Express chartered casino packages, Cedar Point school trips, Shopping Express day trips to Chicago, Winery Tours of Northern Michigan, and comprehensive Tour Planning Services. The fleet features amenities such as reclining seats, DVD monitors, climate control, and onboard restrooms. The company is owned by the Cupp Family and maintains operations across multiple Michigan locations with headquarters in Clio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Lakes By The Bay: Traverse City location offering wine tours, winery tours, and Northern Michigan vineyard transportation services.

Products and services

• 56 Passenger Bus

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest charter fleet in Michigan with 58 motorcoaches
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Motorcoach Association (UMA)coreOthersBlue Lakes is a proud member of the United Motorcoach Association, a nationwide network of motor coach operators. This membership provides access to emergency service networks, replacement equipment, and driver assistance through other member companies across various states.
• American Bus Association (ABA)coreOthersActive member of the American Bus Association, an industry trade organization supporting motorcoach operators.
• International Motorcoach Group (IMG)minorOthersMember of International Motorcoach Group, international network of motorcoach operators.
• Gate 1 TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in providing motorcoach transportation services for Gate 1 tour packages.
• Firekeepers Casino HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular casino partner providing $20 slot play and $5 food credit for Blue Lakes passengers on Tuesday trips.
• Soaring Eagle Casino-ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular casino partner providing $20 free slot play, $10 food credit, and $10 Bingo Bucks (Wed-Sun) for Blue Lakes passengers.
• Cedar PointcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner amusement park for school trips and Halloween events. Blue Lakes provides transportation and partners on package pricing including admission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indian Trails: Michigan-headquartered motorcoach carrier offering intercity, charter, and contract services across the Midwest. Direct regional peer with overlapping Michigan customer base and similar fleet-driven charter-plus-scheduled business model.
• Barons Bus Lines: Midwest charter and scheduled motorcoach operator with strong Ohio presence (close to Blue Lakes' Perrysburg office). Closely comparable regional peer competing for the same group, school, and casino-trip demand.

Broad incumbents

• Coach USA: One of the largest U.S. motorcoach operators with scheduled, charter, tour, and shuttle services across multiple brands. Broader incumbent competing for the same Michigan and nationwide corporate, government, and group-travel charter business.
• Academy Bus: Major Northeast U.S. charter and commuter bus operator with a sizable motorcoach fleet. Competes with Blue Lakes for nationwide corporate/government charters and brings greater scale to large multi-day tour contracts.
• Greyhound Lines: Iconic nationwide intercity motorcoach carrier. While primarily scheduled rather than charter, Greyhound competes for national group-tour and contract business and sets pricing benchmarks across the broader motorcoach market.
• Megabus: Low-cost intercity motorcoach carrier serving many U.S. cities. Different operating model (scheduled, low-cost) but competing for the same pool of group and tour customers evaluating motorcoach transportation options.
• FlixBus: Growing U.S. intercity motorcoach operator under the FlixMobility umbrella. Competes for budget-conscious traveler demand that overlaps with Blue Lakes' shopping and tour package customer base, and exerts pricing pressure on long-distance charter fares.

Regional players

• Peter Pan Bus Lines: Northeast-based intercity and charter bus operator with a comparable mix of scheduled service and group-charter offerings. Comparable in business model and customer profile but operating in a different primary geography.
• RedCoach: Premium motorcoach service focused on Florida and select Southeast corridors. Comparable premium-coach positioning and customer expectations, though operating primarily in a different regional market.

Others

• Durham School Services: Largest U.S. student transportation provider. Adjacent peer sharing fleet operations, DOT compliance requirements, and maintenance practices; not a direct charter competitor but a comparable operating model in the school-transport segment Blue Lakes serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/bluelakescharters
• Facebookfacebook.com/bluelakescharters

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about blue lakes charter