Calculating Your Des Moines Charter Bus Rental Cost

The best way to calculate the price of a charter bus rental in Des Moines is to call our customer service team once you know key trip details like your passenger count, travel dates, destinations, and amenity requests. From there, we can generate a personalized pricing plan with no hidden fees or surprise costs within minutes!

That being said, we understand that having ballpark estimates can help you plan with confidence. To help you get started, here are some approximate price ranges based on previous reservations:

*The prices above are just estimates. The exact cost of your charter bus or minibus rental will vary depending on your specific trip details and itinerary.

**We require a 5-hour minimum reservation for bus rental in our Des Moines network. Mile overages on daily rentals may result in extra fees.

Factors That Affect Des Moines Charter Bus Pricing

As mentioned above, different factors will affect the overall price of your bus reservation. Here are just a few variables we take into account when we offer your group a customized estimate:

• Travel dates: When it comes to group transportation services, some seasons are busier than others. High-traffic travel times like summer vacation and the holiday season tend to book out quickly for family vacations, conferences, and weddings. Due to the higher demand and lower availability, your bus rental may cost more for trips during these busy seasons than if you reserve a ride in the off-season.
• Distance traveled: Your Des Moines charter bus may be charged by day, mileage, or hour, depending on how far you intend to travel and how long you plan to be on the road. Generally, you can expect shorter day trips to be charged by the hour, long-distance charter buses to be charged by the mile, and overnight and multi-day excursions to be charged by the day.
• Passenger count: The size of your travel group is the biggest factor in determining how big or small your motorcoach will be, which will affect the cost of your rental. As a rule of thumb, smaller vehicles like minibuses will usually cost less than a full-sized charter bus rental.
• Driver gratuity: You are not required to tip your bus driver, but most groups collect a cash tip equal to 5 to 10% of the total cost of your bus rental as a thank-you for a job well done. Let your booking specialist know if you’d like to roll the cost of gratuity into your reservation expenses, and your driver will receive their tip without your passengers having to worry about it.
• Miscellaneous travel expenses: While your charter bus reservation includes full coverage insurance, fuel, and the services of a professional charter bus driver, there are some factors not included in your pricing quote. Keep in mind you’ll need to factor in expenses like tolls and parking fees. For overnight trips, you will also need to book lodging for your bus driver; they are required by law to take an 8-hour break for every 15 consecutive hours on the clock and 10 hours of driving.

Now that you know the basic rate ranges and factors that contribute to the cost of your bus rental, below we’ve provided some examples of group trips we’ve booked in the past and the estimated cost of each:

A School Field Trip Charter Bus Rental

A school outside of Cedar Rapids is planning to send its fourth-grade classes on a field trip to
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. With 49 students and 5 chaperones settling in for a 130-mile road trip, the school decides to rent a 56-passenger charter bus to Des Moines that offers undercarriage storage for a picnic lunch and in-cabin features that will keep everyone comfortable for the long haul. The group is quoted at $6 per mile for their school field trip bus rental, for a round-trip total of $1,560. If the classes offer their driver a 5% tip as thanks for keeping everyone safe while on the road, the cost of their charter bus rental will be $30 per passenger when everyone chips in.

A Corporate Shuttle Service

An event coordinator seeks efficient corporate event bus rentals for a 2-day conference. To provide smooth transfers between local hotels, the main stage at Iowa Events Center, and after-hours networking events across Des Moines, they reserve two 18-passenger minibus rentals to run throughout each day of the conference. If each minibus is quoted at $1,600 per day, and the coordinator can secure hotel rooms for the two drivers at $160 with free bus parking, the estimated total for this shuttle bus service will be $6,720 before gratuity.

A Sporting Event Bus Rental

A Drake University alumni group plans to cheer on the Bulldogs at the Knapp Center. To avoid the worst of the game-day traffic and ensure they have a reliable DD, the fans chip in and book a 25-passenger minibus for 5 hours. They are quoted at a $175 hourly rate, can park their bus for a $30 flat fee, and plan to provide a 7% tip for their driver. All told, their sporting event bus rental will cost $966, or $39 per passenger.