How much does it cost to rent a bus?
Below are the price ranges our customers typically see, broken down by vehicle type and by hour, day and mile. Use them to build a budget. They will not be your final number, because bus rental pricing moves with your route, your dates and your city, but they will get you close enough to plan around.
$120–$250
typical charter bus, per hour
5 hours
usual hourly minimum
No fee
we do not charge for booking
Free
quotes, whether you book or not
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Get your exact price
Itemized, free, usually back within the hour.
Estimated bus rental prices by vehicle
These figures reflect what groups commonly pay across our network. Rates vary between operators and between cities, so treat the range as a planning tool rather than a price list.
These are estimates, not quotes
Every number on this page is an average range drawn from past bookings. Your actual price depends on your route, dates, city, vehicle availability and the extras your trip needs. Nobody can give you a real figure without your itinerary, and any company that quotes you a flat rate before asking where you are going is guessing. For a firm price, send us your details or call (888) 555-0142. Quotes are free and itemized, and there is no obligation to book.
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Vehicle type
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Per hour
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Per day
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Per mile
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Typical minimum
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Group travel vehicles
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|
|
|
|
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Sprinter / passenger van
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$95 – $180
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$800 – $1,300
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$2.80 – $4.20
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4 hours
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Mini bus / mini coach
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$110 – $225
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$950 – $1,700
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$3.50 – $5.50
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5 hours
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Shuttle bus
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$105 – $200
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$900 – $1,500
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$3.20 – $4.80
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5 hours
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Charter bus
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$120 – $250
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$1,100 – $1,900
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$4.00 – $6.20
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5 hours
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Coach bus / motorcoach
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$130 – $260
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$1,200 – $2,000
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$4.20 – $6.50
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5 hours
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Double decker bus
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$200 – $400
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$1,800 – $3,200
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On request
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5 hour
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Luxury and executive
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|
|
|
|
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Luxury coach
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$180 – $350
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$1,600 – $2,800
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$5.50 – $8.00
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5 hours
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VIP coach
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$175 – $340
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$1,550 – $2,700
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$5.40 – $7.80
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5 hours
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Sleeper / entertainer coach
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Not hourly
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$1,800 – $3,500
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On request
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Multi-day
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Party and limo
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|
|
|
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Party bus
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$150 – $350
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On request
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Not typical
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4 to 5 hours
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Limo bus
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$140 – $300
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On request
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Not typical
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4 to 5 hours
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Stretch & Hummer limo
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$95 – $250
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On request
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Not typical
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3 to 4 hours
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Hourly bookings are billed from when the driver reports for duty, not from your first pickup. Daily rates usually include a mileage allowance, with overage charged per mile beyond it. Weekend and peak season rates sit at the upper end of every range shown.
What actually decides your price
Seven things move the number more than anything else. If your quote comes back higher or lower than the ranges above, one of these is almost always the reason.
Distance and route
Short local trips are usually billed hourly. Anything crossing state lines shifts to a daily or per mile rate. Routes through dense city centres cost more because they burn driver hours in traffic.
Hours the driver works
You are paying for the driver's day, not just the miles. A wedding where the bus waits four hours between runs still bills those hours, which is why a tight itinerary saves real money.
Time of year
April through June is the busiest stretch in this industry, driven by proms, graduations and wedding season. The same trip in January can cost noticeably less than in May.
Which city you start in
Markets with plenty of operators price more competitively. Cities with narrow streets and few coach-friendly loading zones have less supply, and that shows up in the quote.
Deadhead mileage
If the nearest available bus sits 60 miles from your pickup, someone pays for those empty miles. Booking early gives us a wider pool of local vehicles and usually a lower figure.
Vehicle class and amenities
A luxury coach costs more per seat than a standard charter bus. Restrooms, WiFi, tables and ADA lifts are standard on some vehicles and a surcharge on others.
Overnight and multi-day trips
Federal hours of service rules cap how long a driver can be on duty. Long trips mean overnight accommodation for the driver, and sometimes a second driver.
When you travel changes what you pay
Demand across the industry follows the same calendar every year. Moving a flexible trip by a few weeks can be the single easiest saving available to you.
What is in the quote and what is not
We put every foreseeable cost inside the number you approve. The short list on the right is what genuinely sits outside it, and we tell you about each one before you book rather than after the trip.
Included in your quoted price
- The vehicle for the full duration of your booking
- A licensed professional driver and all driver wages
- Fuel and all mileage on your agreed itinerary
- Tolls and known parking charges along the route
- Commercial insurance on the vehicle and driver
- Standard amenities on that vehicle class
- ur coordinator, from first quote to last drop off
- No booking fee. We do not add one.
Billed separately or paid on the day
- Driver gratuity, customarily 10 to 15 percent
- Driver lodging on overnight trips, if not booked by us
- Venue parking that cannot be confirmed in advance
- Hours beyond your booked itinerary, charged at the hourly rate
- Mileage above the allowance on daily rate bookings
- Excessive cleaning, if the vehicle is left in poor condition
What real trips cost
Four bookings of the kind we handle every week, with the full arithmetic shown. Names and locations are illustrative, and the rates used sit in the middle of the ranges above.
Wedding shuttle, Charleston
44 guests moved between two hotels, a church and a reception venue. One 35-passenger mini coach held for six hours, including waiting time between runs.
Roughly $27 per guest, and nobody drives home after the reception.
Middle school field trip, Dallas
98 students and 6 staff travelling to a museum and back in one school day. Two 56-passenger charter buses booked for eight hours, door to door.
Roughly $24 per student for the whole day.
Sports team tournament, three days
A squad of 40 players and staff travelling 280 miles each way, with the coach staying with the team for local runs between the hotel and the venue.
Roughly $132 per person across three days of travel.
Bachelorette party, Nashville
22 guests on a five-hour Saturday night booking across four venues, on a party bus with a sound system and a bar area. Weekend evening rate applies.
Roughly $64 per person, less than four rideshares each across the night.
How to bring your bus rental cost down
Some of the price is fixed by fuel, wages and insurance, and no operator can move it. The rest is decided by choices you control, and these five make the biggest difference.
Book earlier than feels necessary
Three to six months ahead for peak dates, four to six weeks otherwise. Early booking gives us a wider pool of local vehicles, which cuts deadhead mileage and gives us room to negotiate. Late bookings are quoted from whatever is still standing, and that is rarely the cheapest option available.
Finalize your headcount before you quote
Booking a 25-seat minibus for 18 people means paying for seven empty seats. Booking it for 27 people means adding a second vehicle at short notice, which costs far more than sizing up correctly in the first place. Lock your numbers, then quote.
Tighten the itinerary
Idle time is billable time. A wedding shuttle sitting for four hours between the ceremony run and the return run is charging for those four hours. Sometimes it is cheaper to release the vehicle and book a second short run later in the evening, and we will tell you when that maths works in your favour.
Think in cost per person
A $2,400 charter bus sounds expensive until you divide it by 54 passengers. At $44 a head for a full day with no parking, no fuel and no designated driver, it is usually cheaper than everyone driving themselves once you count gas and parking. It is nearly always cheaper than rideshares for the same group.
Travel outside April to June if you can
That window carries proms, graduations and the start of wedding season all at once, and demand pushes rates to the top of every range on this page. The same booking in late January or early December often lands at the bottom of it.
A note on deposits and cancellation
Reservations are held with a deposit, and most operators ask for the balance around 30 days before travel. Booking inside that window usually means paying in full at the time of reservation. Cancellation terms vary by operator and are stated in writing on your reservation, so read them before you pay rather than after. We will walk you through them on the call if you would rather ask.
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Prices by vehicle
- Charter bus rental prices
- Mini bus rental prices
- Party bus rental prices
- Sprinter van rental prices
- Motorcoach rental prices
- Limo bus rental prices prices
- Browse by occasion
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Pricing questions
If yours is not here, an agent can answer it on the phone in a couple of minutes.
Why can you not just give me a fixed price online?
Because the two biggest cost drivers are your route and your dates, and neither is known until you tell us. A 40-mile round trip in Phoenix in January and the same headcount in Manhattan on a Saturday in May are completely different bookings. Any site showing you a firm price before asking those questions is either quoting a worst case or planning to revise it later.
Is the quote you give me the final amount?
Yes, for the itinerary you approve. Driver hours, fuel, mileage, tolls and known parking are all inside it, and we do not add a booking fee. The price changes only if your trip changes, such as extra hours on the day or a route that grows after booking, and we tell you the cost of that change before it happens.
How much should I tip the driver?
Between 10 and 15 percent of the rental cost is customary in the United States, paid in cash at the end of the trip. It is not compulsory and it is not included in the quote. Fifteen percent is more typical on party buses and nights out where the driver is working late and waiting between venues.
Do I pay per person or for the whole bus?
For the whole vehicle. The rate is the same whether you fill 40 seats or 56, which is why the cost per person falls sharply as your group grows. If you are trying to compare against flights or rideshares, divide the total by your headcount before deciding.
What deposit do you need, and when is the balance due?
A deposit holds the reservation, with the balance usually due around 30 days before travel. If you book inside 30 days, most operators ask for payment in full at reservation. Exact terms depend on the operator assigned to your trip and are stated in writing on your reservation before you pay anything.
Can I get a refund if I cancel?
It depends on how far ahead you cancel. Cancelling several months out often returns part of the deposit. Cancelling within a month of travel frequently does not, because the vehicle has been held out of the market for your date. The terms are on your reservation, and we will point them out when you book rather than leaving you to find them.
Get a real price for your trip
Send your route, dates and headcount and we will come back with an itemized quote. Free, and no obligation to book.
(888) 555-0142
Agents available 24/7