Mini Bus Rental Cost – Renting A Mini Bus

Minibus rentals are convenient, cost-efficient, and offer the best value for short trips like transporting employees to a conference or shuttle rides to the airport. They are a perfect choice for groups of 18 to 35 people. Featuring comfortable amenities like reclining seats, power outlets, Wi-Fi, PA systems, air conditioning, and more, minibusses guarantee a comfortable travel experience for the entire group.

If you are new to renting a minibus, minibus rental prices might be one of your major concerns. In this article, we will discuss the mini bus rental cost. We will help you figure out the answer to the question “how much does it cost to rent a mini bus?”

How Much Does It Cost to Rent A Mini Bus?

The mini bus rental cost will vary depending on your needs. Some of the factors affecting the answer to the question “how much does it cost to rent a mini bus?” include:

• Time of the year – the cost of renting a minibus falls and rises with seasons. For example, in the summer, the demand for minibusses is generally high – this often increases the minibus rental prices. Winter, on the other hand, features very limited minibus bookings – this reduces the total cost of renting a minibus.
• Distance traveled – As you would expect, the minibus rental cost increases as the travel distance increases.
• How long you need the minibus – Some minibus rental companies charge for their services on a per hour basis. This means that the cost will increase as the number of hours increases. It is worth noting that minibus rental service providers do have a minimum number of hours that have to be paid for – for most companies this is usually 4 to 5 hours. Even if you need the minibus for just 2 hours or less, you will still have to pay the cost for the minimum number of hours.
• The minibus capacity – The minibus rental prices increase as the minibus capacity increases.
• Luxury amenities – Minibuses can come with a wide range of features, including TVs, high-quality sound systems, special lighting, and much more. Most companies will charge a higher rental price if you need your minibus to have a wide range of luxury amenities.
• Starting location – If the driver has to travel for a long distance to get to the pick-up location, you may need to cater for the extra miles not covered by the base cost.
• Destination – Some destinations may feature extra charges, including parking fees. The extra charges can increase the mini bus rental cost.
• Gratuity – Giving the driver a tip to show your appreciation for a job well-done is both an industry standard and a good gesture. Gratuity is usually 10 to 20% of the total rental cost.

Although the mini bus rental cost does vary, there are some average costs you should expect. To help you prepare your budget, we will discuss the average minibus rental prices.

Minibus Pricing Basics

Depending on the rental terms, minibus rentals can be charged per day, per mile, or per hour. The prices will vary significantly depending on the needs of a specific group. However, as a starting point, you and your team should expect to pay according to one of the following pricing methods:

• $4 to $5 per mile
• $1,200 to $1,500 per day
• $125 to $160 per hour

If you are renting a minibus for a long-distance trip, you should expect to be charged on a per-mile or per-day basis. Shuttle services and short-distance trips, on the other hand, are usually priced per hour.

Important: The prices above are estimates and may not apply for your situation. The best way to know how much does it cost to rent a mini bus is to request a quote from the minibus rental company.

Below, we will give you some examples of minibus rental prices to expect in varying situations. These should give you a better idea of the cost to expect when renting a minibus:

Wedding Shuttles

Let’s assume that you have a wedding taking place in Atlanta on June 8th next year. Your hotel is 2 miles from the planned ceremony space and the reception spaces are five miles apart. To cover the entire event, you will need the shuttle to run for a total of six hours. You can choose a 20-passenger minibus, a popular choice for transporting guests to and from wedding locations.

The base mini bus rental cost: $900

Driver’s tip (15% of the total cost): $125

Total cost: $1,025

Multi-Day Trips

To give you an idea of what you should expect to pay when renting a minibus for multiple days, we will use an example of a group of college friends planning a multi-day sightseeing trip to New York. We will assume that the group will need an 18-passenger minibus for 3 days. Beginning in San Diego, the group will depart on April 6th and return on April 8th.

Base minibus rental cost: $4,000

Driver’s tip (15% of the total cost): $600

Total mini bus rental cost: $4,600

Cost per passenger (for 18 passengers): $255.56

Note: For multi-day trips, you may need to provide lodging for the driver. This means that you will need to add the hotel room costs to the total cost calculated above.

Field Trips

To help you understand minibus rental prices to expect when renting a minibus for a field trip, we will take an example of an elementary school teacher planning a field trip to Washington DC for his students. Starting in Virginia, the 28-passenger minibus will depart at 9 am and return at 3 pm the same day.

Base cost of renting a minibus in this scenario: $1,200

Driver’s tip (15% of the mini bus rental cost): $180

Total cost: $1,380

Cost per passenger (for 28 passengers): $49.29