Washington DC charter bus rental: 2026 rates by vehicle, from real Washington trips

Because the coach and driver are committed to you for the block. A Georgetown-to-Nationals Park run takes 40 minutes, but the vehicle is not available to anyone else until you release it. Most groups use the block for the round trip and come out ahead.

Only in DDOT’s marked no-standing bus zones, for loading and unloading, never to wait. On the Mall the main ones are the 1700 to 2200 blocks of Constitution Avenue NW, Jefferson Drive SW at the Air and Space and American Indian museums, Madison Drive NW at Natural History and the National Gallery, Henry Bacon and Daniel French Drives at the Lincoln Memorial, West Basin Drive for the FDR and King memorials, and Ohio Drive at the Jefferson Memorial. At the Capitol, Garfield Circle SW is unloading only; the bus cannot wait. Between drops, coaches park at the Union Station motorcoach facility, Hains Point, the Buzzard Point lot or RFK Stadium Lot 3, which holds 100 coaches with weekday in-and-out privileges. Your account manager settles the drop point and the staging plan before the day. Our Washington DC bus parking and loading guide lists each site.

The driver is rerouted by the operator’s dispatch in real time and your account manager tells you the new pickup point. We plan Mall and Capitol trips with an alternate staging point from the start because closures here are routine, not exceptional.

Yes. We have held a GSA Schedule since 2007 and have moved staff for the White House, FBI, Fannie Mae and Lockheed Martin. Where a facility requires driver names or vehicle details in advance, we submit them before trip day. 

Coaches stage off the terminal until the group is ready, then pull in. Dulles: pickup at Arrivals Level Doors 4 and 5, with the bus waiting in the cell phone lot at Autopilot Drive and Rudder Road until your group has its luggage. Reagan National: Terminal 2 groups meet on the upper level outside National Hall, not at baggage claim; Terminal 1 uses the lane nearest the building on the arrivals level, and we confirm the exact door with the operator the day before. BWI: the lower-level commercial vehicle lane outside baggage claim; BWI’s cell phone lot does not admit charter vehicles, so the bus holds nearby and comes in for a quick load once dispatch hears from you. Reagan is the shortest run to downtown; Dulles and BWI usually add an hour each way to the quote. Our airport shuttle bus rentals in Washington DC page has the procedure for each.

Yes. The District limits a stationary motorcoach to three minutes of idling, five when the temperature is below 32°F, and both the Metropolitan Police and the U.S. Park Police ticket it. A coach cannot sit running at the curb while a group assembles, so the driver drops, moves to a staging area and returns on call. It is one of the reasons a Washington quote carries planning time that other cities do not.

A 56-passenger coach with underfloor luggage bays for most schools; every student and chaperone gets a seat and a checked bag’s worth of space below. Groups over 56 run two coaches rather than one coach plus a minibus, so the itinerary stays together. See charter buses for class trips to Washington DC.

Yes, each at its own curb. Nationals Park: drop and pickup on N Street SE or the marked curb zones by the park, with the bus staging at Lot W at M and 7th Streets SE or on the Buzzard Point streets south of the stadium; a full-size coach does not fit the garages. Capital One Arena: curbside on K Street NW, drop-and-go on game nights, with the bus staging at the Union Station bus terminal and returning for pickup. Audi Field: curbside on Potomac Avenue SW at the gates, with the bus staging on the surrounding Buzzard Point streets during the match.

Two to three weeks for an ordinary weekday. Eight to twelve weeks for cherry blossom season (late March to mid-April), Memorial Day, July 4, commencement weekends and any inauguration period. Multi-coach moves should be booked at the longer end regardless of date.

Yes. A 25-passenger minibus took a rugby group from Northwest DC to a pre-game stop at CLOCK Kitchen & Bar and on to M&T Bank Stadium on September 12 for $1,200, and we run the DC to Baltimore cruise terminal transfer through the season. A trip that ends outside the District is quoted with the return leg included, so there is no surprise on the invoice.

On request. Guides are not included by default, but we can arrange a licensed Washington guide for monument and museum tours. See sightseeing and monument tour bus rentals.

Buses cannot park on the Mall or at the museum doors, so the coach drops in a marked zone, moves to a parking facility and returns at a set time. Drop points: American History on the 1200 block of Constitution Avenue NW; Natural History on the 900 block of Madison Drive NW; the National Gallery on the 400 block of Madison Drive; Air and Space at the Independence Avenue SW entrance; African American History at the Madison Drive entrance, with the main exits on Constitution, so we fix a meeting spot before the visit. Parking between drops is at Union Station, Hains Point, the Buzzard Point lot or the metered coach spaces on Jefferson Drive SW between 4th and 7th Streets. The National Zoo is different: bus passes are booked in advance through the zoo, Connecticut Avenue drop-offs are prohibited, and the zoo’s own lot takes coaches by reservation.

Yes, with planning. The public loading zone is Water Street NW at the Georgetown Waterfront, four free motorcoach spaces; waterfront venues such as Washington Harbour let a bus use the front circle for active drop-off only. The residential streets off K, M and Wisconsin are effectively closed to coaches, so a wedding or hotel move in the heart of Georgetown usually runs on minibuses. Georgetown University has its own protocol: drop at the main gates on O Street in front of White Gravenor, or enter from Canal Road, up North Road to Tondorf Road, and unload at Leo O’Donovan Hall, with paid coach parking on campus of about $40 by prior arrangement with university transportation.

Yes. ADA-equipped coaches and minibuses with lifts are available on request; tell us at quote time so the right vehicle is assigned. See ADA wheelchair accessible buses.

Yes. Daily routes for Washington-area employers are priced as a program, not as a charter, and come in well under charter rates because the vehicle works every day. See employee shuttle services in Washington DC.

Date, headcount, pickup address and time, where the day ends, and anything unusual: luggage, a federal site, a game, a second stop. With those five things we quote the same day.

Between $90 and $200 an hour depending on the vehicle, with a five-hour minimum. A 56-passenger coach for a typical day runs $800 to $2,300; a 25-passenger minibus $600 to $900. Peak dates (cherry blossoms, July 4, commencement) run higher. The pricing table above gives the 2026 ranges by vehicle.

No. We are a transportation management company. We select and contract the operators, verify their safety records and insurance, and manage the trip end to end. In Washington that gives you a regional bench of coaches rather than one company’s yard.

Our charter bus services offer a range of vehicles, from smaller minibuses suitable for 18 passengers to larger buses that can comfortably seat up to 56 passengers, ensuring that groups of any size can be accommodated.

Yes, Metropolitan Shuttle offers ADA-accessible buses, catering to travelers with mobility needs to ensure everyone can travel comfortably and safely.

Metropolitan Shuttle works with the most experienced local operators and professionals, ensuring that you have a skilled driver to manage your group’s travel needs.

All of the major cities and many smaller cities in the United States are served by our nationwide charter bus services.

Our experts assist you in choosing the best charter bus rental for your needs based on your schedule, group size, and preferred amenities.

Metropolitan Shuttle offers motor coaches, minibuses, party buses, executive coaches, limo buses, school buses, shuttle buses, and luxury buses are just a few of the many vehicles we provide.

Deluxe charter buses will typically have four to six video monitors. Minibuses will have 1-3.

Minibuses are at their best inside about 100 miles: they sit lower than a coach, have no restroom, and no underfloor bays. Longer one-way drops can be arranged and are priced on the whole day the vehicle is committed, including the empty return. For an overnight trip or anything with luggage, a coach is the right vehicle.

Typically, the client will be responsible for booking the driver’s room on overnight trips. Often, if you ask, hotels will add a complimentary room for the driver when you book rooms for a large group.

Most charter services have four- or five-hour minimums on charter bus rentals. Therefore, if your event is from 9am to 5pm and you’re renting a bus for transportation both to and from, it could cost the same amount to keep the vehicle for the day as it would to have it leave and come back for the return trip. However, there are occasions when we can offer special one-way transfer rates to accommodate those types of circumstances.