Charter Bus Prices: How to Calculate Your Omaha Bus Rental Costs

We get it: if you’ve never booked a bus before, knowing how much to budget for transportation can be intimidating. That’s why Omaha Charter Bus Company has put together this guide to common bus rental rates, important factors that will affect your final cost, and some examples of estimates so you know what to expect.

Keep reading to learn how much your Omaha bus rental may cost!

**The Omaha charter bus rental prices listed above are estimates. Rates will vary depending on the season and trip specifications (outlined in the paragraph below). Hourly rentals require a five-hour minimum rental and may be subject to extra charges for mile overages. 

Omaha Charter Bus Pricing Factors

For most trips, the cost will be determined by the hour, with a five-hour minimum for all bus rentals. If you’re traveling over a long distance or hitting the road for several days, your trip may be charged by the mile or by the day. Get in touch by calling 402-623-6237, and our reservation team will happily walk you through the finer points and provide a free pricing estimate based on your trip details.

Here are just a few factors to keep in mind that will affect the final cost of your bus rental in Omaha:

• When you’re traveling — The time of year your trip takes place will change the price. Rates are generally high during high-traffic travel times like holidays or over the summer.
• Duration and distance: High-mileage and multi-day trips will usually cost more than shorter, local trips.
• Drop-off locations: Mapping out an itinerary with multiple destinations or planning a trip outside Omaha city limits will also affect the cost of your charter bus reservation.
• Size of your group: The size of the bus you rent and how many vehicles you book is dependent on how many passengers need a ride.
• When you book: We recommend reserving your bus as far in advance as possible—on average, shoot for 6 months ahead of your departure date to ensure the best rates. Especially during busy summer travel seasons, availability can be limited and will impact the cost of your bus rental.

What’s Included in Your Omaha Charter Bus Cost

• The daily or hourly cost of your rental
• The services of a professional bus driver
• Fuel
• Full coverage insurance

What’s NOT Included in Your Omaha Charter Cost

• Tolls and parking fees outside of our control
• Lodging for your driver during multi-day trips
• Tips for your driver —not required, but a tip of 5-10% of your total trip cost is a common way to show your appreciation for a job well done.

Need a few examples of our transparent pricing plans in action? Here are a few sample itineraries and a breakdown of how we determine the cost of each transportation service:

A School Field Trip to Omaha Children’s Museum

An elementary school in a nearby county is coordinating a fun field trip at the Omaha Children’s Museum. The passengers include a couple of third-grade classes, with a total of 48 students and 6 chaperones. The school opts to rent a charter bus to ensure everyone stays comfortable between stops. With 54 passengers, the school will only need the services of one charter bus. Pick-up time is planned to happen at 8:00 AM and everyone is expected to return to the school by 3:00 PM.

The school’s reservation representative quotes the trip at an hourly rate for a total of $1,190 ($170/hour x 7 hours). At the final drop-off, the bus driver is tipped $70 for the courteous and kind service they’ve shown keeping the kids safe.

Estimate trip total: $1,260

A Conference Shuttle Service to the Omaha Convention Center

A local corporate headquarters is hosting a conference at the Omaha Convention Center. To ensure smooth transitions between the venues and partnering hotels and restaurants, the event planners want to book a conference shuttle service. Their goal is to provide 3 shuttle routes throughout Downtown Omaha and request 25-passenger minibuses for the duration of the conference, two full days, to ensure everyone has timely transfers between the keynote speeches and their dinner reservations.

The conference planners are quoted $9,600 for 3 shuttle bus rentals ($1,600/day x 2 days x 3 minibus shuttles). The 3 bus drivers are tipped $160 each for keeping the business event running smoothly.

Estimate trip total: $10,080

A Huskers Fan Group Tailgate

A group of sports fans are headed to Lincoln for a Huskers football game and want to split the cost of a minibus rental to get them there. They’ve been planning this get-together for months, so they want to avoid as much of the Memorial Stadium traffic as possible. Luckily, thanks to their early planning, their reservation rep was able to get them a great rate for their 18-passenger minibus shuttle! Kickoff is at 7:00 PM, but the fans want to arrive by 4:00 PM to have plenty of tailgating time before the game. That means the group can expect a pick-up time in Omaha at 3:00 PM and a final drop-off at home around midnight. The Huskers fan group is quoted $1,260 ($140/hour x 9 hours), and they plan to tip their driver $60 when they arrive back home.

Estimate trip total: $1,320 or $73 per person