Pricing · School bus rental in New Jersey
How much does it cost to rent a school bus in New Jersey?
A school bus with our own driver is $124 an hour, with a 4-hour minimum. Fuel, the driver, insurance and dispatch are included; tolls and parking are passed through at cost. Five things set the hours: when the bus leaves and returns, the distance and the route, whether the bus waits or comes back, the stops, and whether the trip goes into New York City. Send the trip and the exact written number comes back within one business day.
No account, no card and no PO needed to get a quote.
The five things that set the price
Every school bus rental quote in New Jersey, ours included, comes down to these.
1. Hours the bus and driver are out
From the yard, to your pickup, through the trip and back to the yard. A morning run to a museum is a short day; a dawn departure with a late return is a long one, and the driver's hours follow.
2. Distance and the route
Fuel and driving time scale with miles. A trip across the county costs less than a trip to Trenton or Philadelphia, and the route the bus can legally take matters as much as the map distance.
3. Waiting on site or drop-and-return
When the driver waits with the bus, the hours are continuous and the group has a bus at hand all day. A drop-off and a return pickup can cost less on a long day, because the bus works another job in between.
4. Tolls, parking and venue fees
Bridge and tunnel tolls, parking at the venue and any bus fee the destination charges are listed on the quote and passed through at cost. They are never built into the base price.
5. New York City trips
Tunnels, bridges, city driving and the time it takes to reach a drop-off zone add hours to a Manhattan day. New York trips are quoted as their own category, with the tolls itemized.
The quote is the number
A written quote covers the trip exactly as described. It changes only if the trip changes: a new stop, a later return, a second bus. Tolls and parking are itemized on it, so the invoice matches the quote.
What the price includes, and what changes it
Included in every quote
- The bus, inspected by the state twice a year, with seat belts and the required emergency equipment
- A fingerprint-cleared driver with a current DOT medical certificate
- Fuel for the trip as quoted
- Insurance, with a certificate of insurance on request
- Dispatch on the phone for the whole trip
- The trip sheet, the paperwork and a confirmation the week of the trip
What moves the number
- More riders than a bus holds: a bigger bus, or two buses on the same schedule
- Late-night returns after a game, a show or a reception
- Same-day and emergency requests, filled when a bus is free
- Extra stops on the way there or back
- An aide, a wheelchair-accessible bus or car seats, when the trip needs them
- Multi-day, weekly and season bookings, which are quoted at a per-run price rather than trip by trip
How to get an exact number in one business day
Describe the trip
Date, pickup time, the pickup and destination addresses, the return time and the head count. Five questions online, or call dispatch.
Say how the day runs
Whether the driver waits on site or comes back for the return, any extra stops, and anything the group needs: an aide, car seats, a lift.
Get the written quote
Within one business day, by email, with the bus, every stop and time, tolls and parking itemized, and the terms. Accept it online when you are ready.
Ways to lower the cost of a school bus rental
Most of what makes a trip expensive is in the schedule, and most of it is adjustable before the quote is written.
- Share a bus between two classes. A 54-passenger bus carrying two classes costs far less per student than two small buses carrying one class each.
- Book the return pickup instead of a wait on a long day. If the group is at the venue for six hours, a drop-off and a return pickup can cost less than keeping the bus on site.
- Pick a mid-week date. Tuesdays through Thursdays have more buses free than Fridays, which carry the week's athletics and the weekend's weddings.
- Book early for May and June. The busiest field trip months fill first, and booking early gets the right-sized bus rather than the next size up.
- Keep the route simple. One pickup, one destination and no extra stops is the shortest day for the driver and the lowest number on the quote.
- Check for a field trip grant. Field Trip New Jersey, stewarded by the Community Foundation of New Jersey, reimburses bus costs for field trips at qualifying schools that serve a majority of low-income students. The invoice has to be submitted ahead of the trip, so apply before you book.
Schools and districts can book on a purchase order; other organizations pay before the trip date.
Pricing questions
Is there a minimum charge or a minimum number of hours?
Yes. Trips are billed at $124 an hour with a 4-hour minimum, so the smallest trip is four hours. Each quote states the hours it covers, the pickup and return times, and the tolls and parking on the route.
Do you charge for tolls and parking?
Tolls, parking and venue bus fees are passed through at cost and itemized on the quote. They are not marked up and not hidden in the base price, so a trip with no tolls carries none.
Do PTOs and private groups pay the same as districts?
The trip is priced the same way for everyone: hours, distance, waiting, tolls and New York. What differs is how it is paid. Schools and districts can book on a purchase order; other organizations pay before the trip date.
Is a deposit required?
Not for schools and districts booking on a purchase order. Other organizations pay the quoted price before the trip date, which holds the bus and the driver for the day.
What are the cancellation terms?
Cancel free of charge until 48 hours before pickup. Inside 48 hours, half the trip price applies; once the bus has arrived, the full price. Weather closures are handled case by case with the school.
Is the quote the final price?
Yes, for the trip as described on it. The number changes only if the trip changes: a new stop, a later return, more riders or a second bus. Tolls and parking are itemized on the quote and billed at what they cost.
The fastest way to know the price is to ask.
Describe the trip and a written quote comes back within one business day, with every stop, time and toll on it.
School bus rental pricing for schools and groups in Wayne, Clifton, Paterson, Passaic, Montclair, Bloomfield, Nutley, West Orange, Fair Lawn, Paramus, Hackensack, Livingston, Parsippany and Newark, and across Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Morris, Hudson and Union counties. Also see field trip buses, athletic team buses and school bus rental in North Jersey.