Philadelphia minibus rental: the 18, 20, 25, 30 and 35-passenger sizes, priced from real 2026 trips
Five groups rented minibuses from us in Philadelphia this fall, in five sizes, and together they map the whole class. A 25-passenger minibus took a Camden nonprofit across the Ben Franklin Bridge to Center City and back on a Saturday afternoon for $915, a four-hour charter. An 18-passenger minibus carried seventeen Atwell LLC employees from Newark, Delaware to Citizens Bank Park and home for $1,325. A 35-passenger minibus worked a Glen Foerd wedding from 2 PM to 11 PM for $1,600. A 20-passenger minibus took Clase Azul Spirits from Logan Square to DUMBO, Brooklyn and back for $1,600. A 30-passenger minibus carried an Auburn University MBA cohort around the city for a nine-hour real estate tour for $1,800. Those are invoices, and they are the fastest way to understand what a minibus costs in Philadelphia and which size you need.
Metropolitan Shuttle is a transportation management company that has arranged Philadelphia charter bus rental since 2001. We do not own the buses. We vet the Philadelphia-area operators who do, confirm insurance and safety records before booking, and assign one coordinator who owns your trip start to finish.
Five recent Philadelphia minibus trips and what they cost
| Size | Trip | When | Passengers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Polly Drummond Shopping Center, Newark, DE, to Citizens Bank Park for a Phillies game, noon pickup, 6:30 PM return from the ballpark | Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 17, Atwell LLC | $1,325 |
| 20 | 18th and Vine Streets, behind Sister Cities Park, to Cecconi’s DUMBO, 55 Water St, Brooklyn, 10 AM out, 4:30 PM return to the start | Monday, October 19, 2026 | Clase Azul Spirits corporate group | $1,600 |
| 25 | 250 Federal St, Camden, NJ, to 211 S 15th St, Center City, 1:30 PM pickup, 4:45 PM departure for a 5 PM finish | Saturday, September 19, 2026 | Nonprofit group | $915 (four hours) |
| 30 | Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market St, then stops across the city for a real estate tour, 8 AM to 5 PM | Thursday, October 8, 2026 | Auburn University MBA group | $1,800 (day rate) |
| 35 | Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia Northeast, 9461 Roosevelt Blvd, to Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Ave, cycling between the two from 2 PM to 11 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 | Wedding party and guests | $1,600 |
Prices are per bus, driver included. Bridge and turnpike tolls are itemized where they apply.
Which minibus size do you need?
All five sizes are the same class of vehicle: a cutaway or mid-size body on a commercial chassis, forward-facing seats, climate control, overhead racks, a rear luggage area behind the last row and no underfloor bays. That last point decides more Philadelphia bookings than the seat count does. If every passenger has a suitcase, the group belongs on a 40-passenger coach or a 56-passenger coach, whatever the headcount. Within the class, pick by the numbers below.
18-passenger minibus in Philadelphia
The smallest body in the class and the easiest to park, which matters at the sports complex and on a Center City curb. Atwell LLC rode one on a Sunday in late September: a noon pickup at a shopping center in Newark, Delaware, 45 miles up I-95 to Citizens Bank Park, the bus parked in the oversized-vehicle lot through the game, and a 6:30 PM departure for home. About seven and a half hours, $1,325, roughly $177 an hour, with the Delaware positioning built in. An 18 is the right size for a department, a youth group or sixteen friends with a step up in comfort from a Sprinter. Day bags ride fine; checked luggage does not.
20-passenger minibus in Philadelphia
Our most-booked local size, and the one that gets asked for as a “20 passenger van” more often than a minibus. Clase Azul Spirits used one for the longest minibus trip on this page: a 10 AM pickup behind Sister Cities Park on Logan Square, up the Turnpike to Cecconi’s on Water Street in DUMBO, under the Brooklyn Bridge, lunch, and a 4:30 PM departure back to the same curb. Roughly 95 miles each way, about nine hours, $1,600. A minibus was the right call for twenty people with no luggage going to a Brooklyn restaurant with no coach parking; the Turnpike and bridge tolls at the bus rate ride on the invoice as pass-throughs. For a two-hour site tour or a wedding transfer, a 20 prices at the minimum, which is where most of them land.
25-passenger minibus in Philadelphia
The size for a group that will not quite fit on a 20, and the trip that shows what a short Philadelphia charter really costs. A nonprofit group boarded at 250 Federal Street in Camden at 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon, crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge to 211 S 15th Street in Center City, and departed at 4:45 for a 5 PM finish. Three and a half hours used, four hours billed, $915. Five hours is the published minimum; a four-hour minimum can occasionally be arranged when the operator agrees, and it was here. The DRPA toll at $4.50 per axle each way is on the invoice. For a 25 that works all day, the $1,395 eight-hour city tour in our Philadelphia charter bus cost article is the better guide.
30-passenger minibus in Philadelphia
The city-tour size. An Auburn University MBA group booked a 30 as a day rate for a Thursday in October: 8 AM at the Marriott Downtown on Market Street, then stops across the city for a commercial real estate tour, back at 5 PM. Nine hours, $1,800, $200 an hour, with the bus and driver committed to the group for the whole day and the itinerary free to change. That is the right way to book a multi-stop day: a day rate removes the hourly math and lets the group leader add a stop at 3 PM without a phone call. A 30 is also the largest body that still handles a Society Hill side street or a University City loading zone without a plan.
35-passenger minibus in Philadelphia
The top of the class, and the wedding workhorse. On a Sunday in September a 35 collected guests at the Four Points by Sheraton on Roosevelt Boulevard at 2 PM, ran them three miles to Glen Foerd, the riverfront estate on Grant Avenue in Torresdale, and cycled between the two as guests arrived and left until 11 PM. Nine hours, $1,600, about $178 an hour. A 35 gets a whole ceremony onto one vehicle and keeps the hotel-to-venue loop on a single driver who learns the gate on the first run. Above 35, luggage or not, you are into coach territory.
How much does a minibus rental cost in Philadelphia?
Published 2026 rates for a minibus in Philadelphia are $150 to $200 per hour on a four-to-five-hour minimum, and $1,100 to $1,500 for a standard eight-to-ten-hour day. The five trips on this page landed between $915 and $1,800, and the spread comes down to four things:
- Hours. $915 for four, $1,325 for seven and a half, $1,600 for nine. The hourly rate falls as the day lengthens; the total does not.
- Day rate or hourly. The $1,800 Auburn tour was booked as a day rate on a weekday in October, consistent with national minibus day-rate pricing, because the group bought the bus for the day with the freedom to change the route. The $1,600 Brooklyn and Glen Foerd days were day rates too. An hourly booking for a fixed itinerary inside the metro area prices against the local band.
- Positioning and tolls. Newark, Delaware and Camden pickups carry positioning miles; the Brooklyn day carried Turnpike and bridge tolls. All of it is itemized.
- The date. A Sunday wedding in September and a Phillies Sunday priced inside the band; a Saturday in May during commencement season would price at the top of it.
The Philadelphia charter bus rental hub has the full rate table by bus type, and the national 20-passenger minibus page has the cross-country picture.
What a Philadelphia minibus carries
- 18 to 35 forward-facing seats, most reclining, with overhead racks
- Climate control, PA system, and on most bodies a TV monitor and USB or 110-volt outlets
- A rear luggage area behind the last row: day bags, coolers and a few suitcases, not a bag per seat
- No onboard restroom; plan a stop on anything past two hours of driving
- ADA lift-equipped minibuses on request; tell us when you book
For trips with a suitcase per passenger, or anything past about 100 miles each way, size up to a coach. The Brooklyn day worked on a 20 because it was a corporate group with nothing but briefcases and a two-hour drive each way.
Where Philadelphia groups take a minibus
Weddings. Hotel-to-venue loops at Glen Foerd, the Water Works, Cescaphe venues in Northern Liberties, the Barnes and the Main Line estates. One of the five invoices on this page was a wedding; see also the Sprinter van for the bridal party itself.
Corporate and nonprofit days. Site tours, board retreats, client dinners, offsite moves between Center City, University City and the Navy Yard. See Philadelphia corporate charter bus rentals.
Schools and universities. Day trips to the Franklin Institute, the Zoo, Valley Forge and the Brandywine museums; campus moves for Penn, Drexel, Temple and visiting MBA groups. See school and university bus rentals in Philadelphia.
Game nights. Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and Xfinity Mobile Arena for groups under 35; the oversized-vehicle lot at the sports complex is $80 and itemized. See Philadelphia sports team and fan bus charters. For a night out with music and a bar rail, see the Philadelphia party bus.
Cross-river and cross-state. Camden, Cherry Hill, Newark, Delaware and New York City. The bridge toll rides on the quote; the drive time rides on the clock.
Other Philadelphia vehicles
Below 18 seats, the Philadelphia Sprinter van takes 12 to 14. Above 35, or for any group with luggage, the 40-passenger coach and the 56-passenger coach add underfloor bays and a restroom. For the full lineup and national pricing, see charter bus rental and the national minibus rentals, 18 to 35 passengers page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to book a minibus in Philadelphia?
Call (215) 330-2394 or request a quote. Tell us the headcount, the date, the pickup and the last drop-off, and we will quote the right size the same day.
