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

At Knoxville Charter Bus Company, we understand how important it is to find the right option at the right price point for your bus rental. Though we can’t give you an exact quote until you contact our 24/7 reservation team, we’ve created the guide below to help provide a rough estimate of how much it will cost to rent a charter bus in Knoxville.

Bus Type	Per Hour	Per Day	Per Mile
Charter Bus	$160 – $230	$1,620 – $2,100	$5.75 – $7.20
Minibus	$145 – $200	$1,500 – $1,920	$5.00 – $7.00

*The rates listed above are estimates. Prices will vary depending on trip specifications and seasonality.

**Daily rentals require a 5-hour minimum. Mile overages on daily rentals may incur extra charges.

Knoxville Charter Bus Pricing Factors

In addition to the table guide above, there are many other factors that can affect the final cost of a Knoxville charter bus. For example, if your bus is rented by the hour, there is a five-hour minimum rental requirement, which may alter the cost of your bus rental. Our trained reservation specialists at (865) 217-7630 can help break down every aspect of your Knoxville bus rental cost and will tailor your quotes to fit all of your unique travel needs.

Some other pricing factors to consider when renting a Knoxville charter bus are:

● Time of year: Due to high demand, Knoxville charter buses can be more expensive during peak seasons. Graduation and prom season, football season, and major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas all experience higher demand and thus higher rates for charter bus rentals in Knoxville.

● Destinations: Our Knoxville bus rental rates are calculated by day, mileage, or hour, depending on the type of trip you are taking. If you have numerous stops planned or are traveling to locations far from Knoxville, this can impact the cost of your charter bus by adding extra mileage or hours traveled to your quote.

● Travel duration and distance: If you are taking a short or local trip, expect to pay less than you would if you are traveling a long distance or over the course of multiple days. If you’re planning a multi-day trip, you’ll also need to budget for your driver’s hotel accommodations.

● Passenger count: The number of people in your group determines which type of charter bus rental you end up renting. Smaller buses, like the 18-passenger minibus, are typically more affordable than full-size charter buses, which is why it’s important to have your passenger count finalized when you secure your reservation.

● Booking time: Booking your reservation early can help secure a lower rate on your Knoxville bus rental quote. The sooner you book, the better, especially if you are traveling during the busy months or around holidays. We recommend calling at least six months before your trip.

When you call our team at (865) 217-7630 for a free, no-obligation quote, be sure to provide as many details as possible about your itinerary, passenger count, and amenity needs so we can give you the most accurate quote possible with no hidden fees or surprises.

The following is included in your Knoxville bus rental cost:

● The hourly or daily cost of your rental

● A professional charter bus driver

● Fuel costs

● Full-coverage insurance

The following is NOT included in your Knoxville bus rental cost:

● Parking and tolls outside of our control

● Lodging for your driver during multi-day trips

● A tip for your driver***

***Tips are strongly recommended but not required. A 5-10% tip in cash at the end of your trip is a great way to thank your charter bus driver for a job well done and for keeping your group safe.

Continue reading below for some real-life examples of popular trip itineraries in Knoxville and their price breakdowns. Call us anytime 24/7/365 at (865) 217-7630 to get started and see how easy it is to book with Knoxville Charter Bus Company.

A young girl smiles while a bird sits on her head

The School Field Trip to Zoo Knoxville

An elementary school teacher wants to organize a class field trip for the fifth graders to go to Zoo Knoxville to celebrate their upcoming graduation. After doing some research online, she finds Knoxville Charter Bus Company and decides to book a field trip charter bus rental through our extensive network. After the teacher gives out permission slips to sign, 109 students are given permission by their parents to go.

The teacher is quoted for two full-size charter bus rentals at $200 per hour for each bus for eight hours. This totals up to $3,200. She is able to secure a charter bus with a wheelchair ramp for a student in a wheelchair for no extra cost, and each student only pays $30 for their portion of the transportation. The school allocates money to give the charter bus driver a 5% tip for a job well done, adding $160 to the total for a final cost of $3,360.

A bride and groom smile at each other while guests cheer

The Wedding at The Kinkaid House

A couple planning their wedding has found the perfect venue in The Kincaid House. And while they adore the look and feel of the venue, they realize that the location is a long way out from the hotels of downtown Knoxville. To ease logistics, they decide to rent a wedding shuttle for the day of the wedding to take out-of-town guests from their hotels to the venue so no one gets lost or is late. They have 20 guests who are coming in for the wedding and will need transportation, so they decide to rent a 25-passenger minibus to take care of the out-of-town guests and provide them with a valuable service. Because the minibus is available to them all day, they also use their services to have a special morning-of brunch for the wedding party, transporting the bridal party to hair and makeup, and to bring guests safely back to their hotels after the festivities.

They are quoted $1,600 to rent the bus for the day and ease logistics for their guests. Afterward, they give their charter bus driver an 8% tip of $128, bringing their grand total to $1,728.

a business man walks outside at an airport

VIP Transportation for Board Members

The University of Tennessee Knoxville is having its annual board meeting and needs to provide transportation for board members. There are 10 people flying in for the meeting, and they will all be in Knoxville for two additional days before flying out. The logistics planner finds Knoxville Charter Bus Company online and explains their transportation needs in detail. An experienced reservation specialist is able to quote them for different corporate charter bus rentals that can fit their transportation needs.

The planner ends up renting one 18-passenger minibus with all the bells and whistles for three days to transport the board members around Knoxville for the duration of their trip as well as to and from McGhee Tyson Airport. The planner is quoted at $1,700 a day for three days. This brings the cost to $5,100, plus a 10% tip for the driver, to make it $5,610 total.

A teenage baseball player stands at bat

Away Game Transportation to Nashville

A high school baseball team is attending a tournament in Nashville. This will be a 4-day trip with 20 players, 2 coaches, and 4 additional chaperones who will all be traveling together. The group also needs considerable undercarriage storage for all of the team’s gear and luggage. The head coach calls Knoxville Charter Bus Company, and a rental specialist recommends a 56-passenger charter bus for the baseball team’s travel needs.

At $1,620 a day for four days, the coach is quoted $6,480 for their team’s charter bus rental, and budgets for a tip of 6%, bringing the total for their transportation to $6,870. The coach also knows this quote does not include necessary overnight accommodations for the charter bus driver and will work with the hotel in Nashville to arrange a room for their charter bus driver.