The cost of a school bus starts at $81 per hour. Variables such as region and time of year will affect the hourly rate. Minimum drive times will also affect the final price of your bus. A bus company’s minimum drive time averages $400 or 4-5 hours. To find out what that means for your trip, use the Bus.com booking tool. It generates personalized quotes for trip planners. Your quote includes your driver’s on-duty time and drive time (including the time it takes to get from the bus depot to the departure point). It also includes the driver’s accommodations if you’re taking a multi-day trip, but that’s quite an unlikely scenario for school bus renters.

While school buses are the most affordable type of group transportation out there, prices can still vary depending on a few factors. Everything from which time of year you book your school bus to which time of day has a significant say in how your grand total will check out. School buses are generally more expensive during the early mornings (since you’re in direct competition with school bus fleets dedicated to actual schools), and late at night, when it’s harder to secure a driver. The best times of year to book a school bus are during July and August, when school’s out and bus availability becomes abundant.

The average school bus fits 47 people. When you decide how many school buses you need for your trip or shuttle service, remember to account for chaperones and other leaders. School buses do not have undercarriages like coach buses do. That means you’ll have to account for luggage space. Reserve a few rows of seats if you are transporting lots of equipment. This is an important consideration for sports teams and campers. If you’re planning a shuttle service for a wedding or an office party, you may want to book more than one school bus. Speak to a Bus.com booking specialist for shuttle bus details.

Consider the school bus as the bare bones of buses – you’ll have all the basic essentials for your trip: an easy, affordable, and reliable way to get from Point A to Point B. However, the lack of amenities like A/C, storage space, and onboard restrooms means you’ll need to be conscious of how you’re planning to use your charter bus rental.

School bus rentals typically come with limited or no storage, but with a little bit of creativity, you can make it work regardless. Set aside your own storage space by reserving a few seats in the front or back of the bus, and there you have it, extra room for baggage! Just make sure you rent a school bus with a number of seats that’s a little over your number of passengers.

Yes, school bus rentals are safe. Every bus is equipped with security features like specialized brake systems, lighting, emergency exits, and escape hatches in the roof. The driver has also been strictly vetted to ensure quality and safe service. Many people wonder about the safety of school buses because they don’t typically have seat belts, but their lack of belts is actually a safety feature. The school bus was designed to transport children, and historically, passenger groups have been comprised of mostly kids and one or two adults. The belts were left off because it would be too unsafe for the adults to undo all 40 kids in the case of an emergency. To make up for the lack of belts, the seats are designed to absorb impact. Learn more about school bus safety here.

Yes, the school bus is a comfortable form of charter bus. We wouldn’t call school buses luxury vehicles—they’re no coach bus—but the school bus has come along way since their first iteration. Early school buses took the form of a vehicle called “the kid hack.” They were designed by Wayne Works Company, and they were pretty much a big sled or wagon. Today, school buses are spacious and fitted with cushioned seats. But they don’t have onboard restrooms, so they’re not great for trips longer than 3 hours. But shuttle bus services, field trips, and other short rides are well-served by a school bus.