Believe it or not, the coach bus rental industry is predicted to hit a whopping $4.1 billion by the year 2023. Not only that, but today’s passengers are choosing charter bus costs over traditional transit methods like the light rail, trolley bus, and commuter rail more and more every day.
Do you want to rent a bus? Surprisingly, there’s a lot that goes into the price of your charter bus rental. Here are 15 things your boss expects you to know!
1. Length of Your Coach Bus Rental Trip
Are you in charge of booking for large travel groups? If so, then don’t be shocked when your boss asks you about the length of your coach bus rental trip. Of course, the distance of your bus trip has to do with both the time you’ll be on the road and the number of miles traveled.
Usually, there are two options for charter bus organizations to rent a bus, which include:
- The amount of time you’ll be using it for
- The number of miles driven on the trip
But here’s the thing. If you’re only taking your charter bus rental down the road for a birthday party or dinner, you’ll probably be charged per hour. Naturally, there’s typically a minimum amount of hours to book too.
2. Type of Charter Bus For Rental You Need
Not sure what type of charter bus rental you need? You’ve come to the right place. For those planning to rent a large charter bus, there are tons of options to choose from, including passenger buses and sprinter vans.
However, the fewer empty rows you have on the bus, the more affordable your charter bus will be. That means that it’s super important to have an accurate headcount of the number of passengers on your bus. Why is that?
It’s simple: this is the only way to find the perfect sized travel bus for your group. For instance, you may want to rent a bus that has bathrooms on it if you’re planning to be gone for a couple of days.
3. Travel Dates For Bus Rentals
Here’s the thing: when it comes to booking a charter bus for an event, the key is to get to know the travel dates to book your bus rental. Just like any other industry, the rule of “supply and demand” still applies to charter bus rentals.
As if that’s not enough, the demand for coach buses really depends on the season that you want to rent it in. For example, those who want to rent a coach bus in the summer and spring should prepare to face peak rental rates. But it’s worth it if you’re traveling for any of the following events:
- Class reunions
- Weddings
- Graduation
- Summer vacation
Despite this fact, booking a bus in winter will usually have an extremely low demand for transportation. Lucky for you, that means that rates will potentially be lower too.
4. Place You’re Renting a Bus From
Do you know the place that you’re going to be renting a place from? If not, then you definitely should. That’s because certain parts of the country are cheaper for renting a coach bus than other parts.
For instance, it’s not uncommon for older cities to have narrow roads that are hard for your bus to travel on. The result: unfortunately, these cities often offer fewer coach bus options to travelers. On top of that, these rare rentals tend to be pretty spendy too!
5. Travel Fees You Might Face
Check this out: if you’re responsible for renting a charter bus, your boss will probably want you to know about the potential travel fees you might face as well. Don’t believe us? Think about it this way.
Whatever route you choose to go might involve bridges or toll roads. Plus, you could come across places that charge coach buses to park too. But here’s the kicker.
If these surprise fees are already known in advance, then they’ll typically be included in your initial quote. Another word of advice is to look ahead at any hotels or venues you’ll be visiting as well. That way, checking to see the costs beforehand should be a breeze!
6. Possibility of Hiring a Second Driver
Have you considered the possibility of hiring a second driver yet? This might seem like common knowledge, but it’s literally impossible to have a driver travel for 24 hours straight without taking a break.
That’s why our general rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t let your coach bus driver work for over 10 hours in a row. If that’s the case, then you have to give them an eight-hour rest between shifts. Enter your second charter bus driver.
While your first driver rests safely, you can have your second coach bus driver come aboard to make sure your group gets where they need to go. But here’s the kicker: this will add to your travel costs, especially since you’ll have to pay for the second driver’s hotel room.
7. Booking Early Saves Cash
News flasher: the sooner that you book your charter bus rental, the more affordable it will be. For those who are confused, it’s not as complicated as you’d think. As a matter of fact, there will usually be way more coach buses available when you call a few weeks or months in advance.
So, how far in advance should you book your charter bus trip, anyway? To be quite honest with you, it all depends on the travel dates that you set. For example, if your coach bus rental lies between the months of April and October, then you should book it anywhere from two months to six months ahead.
On the other hand, less busy booking months occur between January and February. And if you’re a procrastinator, you can easily book your charter bus as little as three weeks ahead of time. It sounds like a win-win to us!
8. Exact Itinerary For Your Charter Bus
Do you know the exact itinerary for your charter bus? We’re here to help. One of the most important things that your boss expects you to know is to have a concrete plan for your coach bus trip.
We can’t emphasize this enough: the longer you spend planning out your charter bus itinerary, the more detailed your projected travel costs will be. That being said, having an up-to-date itinerary is the smartest and least expensive way to travel where you need to be in style.
9. Right Season For Your Charter Bus Trip
Here’s the deal: knowing the right season for your charter bus trip is essential for locking in lower rates during times of low customer demand. So, if you want to impress your boss by shaving a few bucks off of the budget, then you might want to plan your coach bus trip in the offseason instead.
Not sure when there’s peak demand for charter bus rentals in your area? Have no fear, we’ve got you covered. For starters, try to avoid booking a coach bus during the busier months of:
- April
- May
- June
No matter where you live, you’re almost guaranteed to pay hourly rates during these periods of high customer demand. And nobody wants to do that, right? We didn’t think so!
10. Maximizing Passenger Density
Ever thought about how to maximize passenger density on a charter bus? In case you didn’t know, “passenger density” is a fancy term from the railroad days. It has to do with dividing the total amount of miles traveled by all passengers by the total amount of miles of roads operated on.
That being said, your boss will most likely want you to plan head for passenger density too. So, make sure that you prevent any deadhead on your trip, which happens when your charter bus travels with only a few to no guests aboard.
Since it’s usually cheaper to have the same pickup and drop off location, you’ll want to make sure that every passenger that entered the bus gets picked up on time as well.
11. Choosing the Right Charter Bus
Having a hard time choosing the right charter bus? You’re not alone. For starters, it’s all about finding the bus that’s the most ideal size for your group.
Obviously, the more people you have on your coach bus rental, the more affordable it will be for everyone to travel with you. Thus, you’ve got to wonder if it’s worth it to have all of the bonuses of a huge charter bus without having enough people to fill the seats. The choice is yours!
12. Reducing Driver Costs
Curious about reducing charter bus driver costs? Join the club. For the uninitiated, you can actually check to see if you get some deals for your driver in terms of their accommodations.
Crazily enough, you can even ask the hotel that you’re staying in if they could provide a discounted or free room for your coach bus rental driver. How can you possibly beat that?
13. Avoiding Extra Costs
This is a no-brainer: when you’re renting a coach bus, be sure to avoid extra costs as much as humanly possible. Don’t know where to start? Allow us to explain.
First things first, it doesn’t hurt to ask the hotel you’re staying at if they have a free or discounted place to park your charter bus rental. Better yet, look ahead at the venues you’ll be traveling to and ask if they have any free or discounted parking offsite for large buses.
Need transportation for meetings and events? Renting a large charter bus for your whole team is a must-have!
14. Renting a Charter Bus Per Event
Have you ever rented a charter bus per event before? First of all, you should know that the rental cost of your charter bus will vary depending on the:
- Date of rental
- Time of the year
As a general guideline, you can expect to pay between $125 and $180 per hour for coach bus travel to corporate events during the weekdays. And don’t worry about fuel costs – they’re usually provided in your initial rental rate anyway.
Planning to book holiday party transportation? Don’t forget to read customer reviews first!
15. Renting a Charter Bus Per Hour
Thinking about renting a charter bus per hour? We got your back. Most charter bus rental companies have a solid hourly rate that doesn’t change according to the seasons. Despite this fact, other companies might have a minimum hourly requirement to cover costs like:
- Travel to and from the pickup site
- Paying the charter bus driver
- Overhead fees for your company
Just to give you a ballpark idea of costs, you can prepare to pay more than $100 an hour to rent an executive van. As you can imagine, renting a limo or party bus per hour can be even more expensive.
Why Wait? Rent a Bus Today!
Sick and tired of Googling “charter buses cost” on your smartphone? Don’t worry, we’ve got everything you need to rent a bus today. From the length of your coach bus rental trip to renting a charter bus per hour, our handy guide truly has it all.
For those who are still feeling clueless about the whole coach bus rental thing, consider this: after you’ve got your group itinerary ready, the hardest part will be choosing the perfect bus for your trip. You’ve got it under control!
Are you interested in renting a bus for a day? Visit our website to book your bus online now!