Important Factors
The most important factors to keep in mind with respect to how much your bus will cost are length of time of the rental, the distance traveled and the size of the bus.
Rental Pricing
Buses that travel outside local areas and/or that make overnight trips are generally priced per mile. This can change, however, if the daily charter rate is more than the per-mile rate.
Daily Rental Rates
In 2007 the average daily rate in the United States for chartering a bus was around $821. For local trips, shorter trips, it may be less, but some bus companies will require a 5-hour minimum for these types of trips and the cost per mile or hour is subject to change as fuel prices fluctuate.
Bus Size
Buses come in varying sizes and are priced accordingly. The most economical approach is to charter a bus whose capacity is appropriate for the size of your group. Filling the bus spreads the cost of the charter over more passengers. Chartering a full-sized coach for a full-day excursion could cost as little as $20 per person
Other Costs
Other factors that influence the cost of chartering a bus include tolls that must be paid en route, the cost of parking at your destination and having to pay additional drivers for long-distance trips. An additional driver change will raise the price significantly. It's traditional to tip the driver around 10 percent.
