How much does it cost to hire a minibus? Read before you hire a Minibus to avoid chaos.

Updated: October 08 2023

Have you ever been involved in event planning or group travel? If you have, you can attest that it is among the most challenging tasks to do, especially with transportation. If you have noticed, minibuses are among the most preferred for safety and comfortable transport. Among the questions that people ask is how much does it cost to hire a minibus? Well if you are asking the same question, this post is for you. 

How much is it to hire a Minbus in the UK? 

Minibus Type	Minibus Hire Price Per Hour
16 Seater Minibus -  Standard	£21 - £42
16 Seater Minibus -  VIP	£39 - £56
30 Seater Minibus - Executive	£41 - £62

Above prices are from minibus hire companies within the Minicab Index Directory. Please click here to see the listed minibus hire companies. Please contact them directly and request the quote. The prices are may vary from each company.

If you are hiring a 9+ seater minibus, then you will be able to get a 100% discount on the Congestion Charge. Read more from the TfL website.

But first, let’s see why most people prefer it.

Reasons to Hire a minibus for transportation.

There are so many reasons why you should hire a minibus for transportation. Its depends on what type of event you are handling.

• They are suitable for different events. Mainly for events where there is a need for group transportation.
• Minibuses come in different sizes, but they are not whole-sized as charter buses.
• Reduces costs of hiring many vehicles for travel. For instance, you can hire a minibus with a driver. It means you will all travel in one vehicle and will not need to pay a driver separately.
• It is fun to travel in a minibus. While cars allow you to travel separately, minibuses will enable you to travel with your team. It feels good, and it’s enjoyable.

Factors that determine to hire a minibus 

Different things determine the cost of minibus hire. Minibus costs may vary based on these factors. Here are some of the factors you should keep in mind when hiring a minibus.

Season of the year

What time of the year is your trip? Among the things that will determine how much the minibus hire will cost you. The charges change depending on the time of the year. For example, minibus hire costs tend to be high during holidays as many people are travelling. School and work holiday periods are most people tend to have family trips.

Above info graphics shows minibus hire and coach hire peak and off-peak seasons. Peak seasons always price will effect minibus hire cost and availability. Planning to hire a minibus during the peak seasons, good to book well advance.

The charges can also be high during the year. Mainly those months where there are graduations, school holidayes, weddings and other corporate events and other summer-related events are happening. In such months, more people are likely to hire minibuses and coaches. They need them for transportation to graduation venues. So, when the demand for minibuses is high, the charges go up as well.

If you are looking to spend less on minibus hire, consider having your trip during off-peak season. During this time of the year, the demand is low, and companies compete for customers and allow them to reduce their prices. While seasons influence prices, it’s vital to book your minibus earlier.

Number of people

The number of people who will use that vehicle also determines how much you will pay. Minibus hire companies have vehicles or coaches that have a passenger capacity of between 40 and 60. If you a bigger group, you may go with coaches. The larger your travelling team, the higher the amount you will pay.

Thus, it is good to choose one vehicle with a passenger capacity that meets your team number. Hiring more than one minibus will increase your costs.

Distance

Your trip distance is another factor that influences minibus hire costs. Coach companies usually look at the distance of your trip before giving you a quote. Before you talk to the coach hire company, ensure you know the pick-up and drop-off location. Accurate location pickup and drop-off will help you to the accurate amount you will spend. You should also know the duration you will be spending with the minibus.

Additionally, keep the location of the minibus hire company in mind. These, together with your pick-up location, add up to your travel time. You eventually end up paying more because you did not consider this. While some things may change at the last minute, try not to change anything. This might inconvenience your driver and also increase your cost.

Your travel location

Where are you travelling to? Ask yourself this question before hiring any vehicle. For instance, London minibus operators are expected to stick to regional legislation. The legislation requires them to utilise the latest, low discharge vehicles. This is because it helps support a cleaner air quality environment.

Consequently, many of the vehicles run by companies in the city are usually newer. This makes them more costly than those based anywhere in the UK. In case you are travelling to or from a major town, consider picking a minibus based outside the city. This will help lower your costs in situations where you need coach hire services. Also, you may choose other ways to travel from your location. You can do this without interfering with your budget.

Minibus, Bus and Coach type

Hiring a coach or minibus doesn’t mean moving around with an empty bus. To get the value of your money, you need to fill all the seats. Your minibus choice may influence the cost. For instance, the standard coach price will not be the same as that of someone who chose a VIP coach. The cost may vary by some pounds in a day.

We recommend you pick a standard coach as it is likely to cost you less to hire such type of vehicle. For instance, you can hire a 12 seater minibus for a day trip starting from £100.

See below table for basic information about Minibus, Bus and Coach Type:

One-way or return trip

This is not a debate. A return trip will cost more than a single-way journey. While the single way trip cost may not behalf of a return trip, it reduces your costs. 

The above factors may not be everything that determines your minibus hire cost. But these factors will help you estimate the cost. Yet, you should also consider somethings like your individual or special needs. For instance, you may have passengers with wheelchairs. Such people may need special attention, and this might increase the price. If you have members with special needs, you must hire a vehicle that favours such needs.

Based on your hire terms, you might be required to pay hourly, per mile, or per day.

Should you fuel the minibus?

This is the question many people who are budgeting for their trip usually ask. You might find yourself asking the same. This may depend on your hire terms. But most of the time minibuses and filled with a whole fuel tank. In case you are traveling a short distance, you might not need to refuel it. 

In the event of long journeys, you might pay a reduced mileage cost. This may not comprise fuel. Lenders have different policies. But the price will not be higher than what they list on their pages. However, this is based on your requirement and time of the year. If you are in early bird then you may be getting better or affordable minibus hire prices. 

How much does it cost to hire a minibus and driver for the day?

Some vehicle companies might want you to hire their driver even if you know how to drive. Actually, they are doing you a favour. If you are going on a trip, you need to enjoy every moment. In this situation, you need to know how much it will cost you to hire both the driver and the minibus. It is good to hire a driver from a reputable company. Such drivers are reliable and have all the needed documents.

The costs of this service may or may not vary. It will all depend on the above factors. However, many companies include the charges of a drive in the total cost. 

Conclusion

The question of how much it costs to hire a minibus all depends on you. It doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many things you can do to reduce costs. Such as include having all your members picked in one location. You can also try and get your timings right. It will help avoid paying high costs for other things that you could have avoided. Also, when choosing a driver, ensure he has all the required documents.

FAQ

Read more about Coach Hire Cost

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