Hourly vs Daily Bus Charter in Singapore
LTA-Licensed | UEN 53379842J | Established 2018Two ways to book the same coach, and the cheaper one is not always obvious. Here is the arithmetic, with every rate printed, so you can price your own day before you call us.
Is hourly or daily bus charter cheaper in Singapore?
Per trip is cheaper for one clean journey, from SGD 85 on the 23-seater minibus, SGD 100 on the 45-seater and SGD 110 on the 49-seater. Hourly hire is cheaper once the day needs three or more separate journeys, at SGD 50, SGD 60 and SGD 70 an hour on a four hour minimum. A full eight hour day is SGD 400, SGD 480 or SGD 560. Every figure covers the driver, fuel, ERP and parking, and we are not GST registered.
Groups Who Book Us Both Ways
We work with organisers who move a group around Singapore and need the booking shaped to their schedule.
- Corporate & Office Teams
- Schools & Institutions
- Weddings & Family Events
- Tour & Travel Groups
- Religious & Community Groups
- Conference & Event Organisers
Where this choice goes wrong, and what we do about it
Picking the wrong booking type costs real money. Here is where people get stuck, and the mechanism behind each answer.
Your day has four stops and nobody can tell you whether that is four bookings or one.
What we do: We price it both ways on the same quote, so you see the two totals side by side before you pick one.
The timings are still moving, so you cannot yet say how many separate trips the day needs.
What we do: Hourly hire is booked as a block of time, not a list of trips. A stop added on the day costs nothing inside the booked hours.
Book per trip for a day where the coach must stand by, and the waiting adds up at SGD 15 for every 15 minute block.
What we do: You get 15 minutes free, or 45 minutes on an airport arrival. Past three blocks we convert the job to a four hour hourly hire instead, which is SGD 200 on the 23-seater.
Book eight hours for a coach that is needed twice and you have spent SGD 480 on a 45-seater instead of SGD 200.
What we do: If the coach can be released between the two journeys, we quote it as a two way return at SGD 200, even though the longer booking bills more.
You have rung round and every operator quotes a different structure, so no two totals can be compared.
What we do: You get one all-inclusive figure per vehicle, covering driver, fuel, ERP and parking. Only four surcharges exist, and each one is written on the quote.
The last hourly quote you took looked cheap by the hour, then arrived with charges nobody had shown you.
What we do: The full list is midnight at SGD 20, a gazetted public holiday at SGD 30, extra stops at SGD 20 per stop, per vehicle and excess waiting at SGD 15 per block. All four are printed on our pricing page and itemised on your quote.
You are afraid we will steer you to the eight hour day simply because SGD 480 bills better than SGD 200.
What we do: Every rate quoted here is published on our pricing page, so you can do the sum yourself first. We put both totals in writing and name the cheaper one.
You are afraid the hour count creeps once the coach is out, and an eight hour job comes back billed as ten.
What we do: The rate and the booked hours are named on your written quote before you pay, and hourly bookings carry no waiting charge at all. We invoice under UEN 53379842J and are licensed by the Land Transport Authority to operate private hire buses.
What hourly hire actually costs
Rates are per vehicle, all-inclusive of driver, fuel, ERP and parking. No GST is added. Hourly hire has a four hour minimum.
| Hours booked | 23-seater at SGD 50/hr | 45-seater at SGD 60/hr | 49-seater at SGD 70/hr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 hours (the minimum) | SGD 200 | SGD 240 | SGD 280 |
| 8 hours (a full day) | SGD 400 | SGD 480 | SGD 560 |
Extra stops are free inside the booked hours, and hourly hire never bills for waiting. A day longer than eight hours is quoted at the same hourly rate. Every rate we publish sits on the pricing page.
What per trip charter costs
A trip is one journey between the pickup and the drop you give us. The coach is released once your group is off.
| Vehicle | Point to point | Airport transfer | Two way return | Each extra stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23-seater minibus | SGD 85 | SGD 100 | SGD 170 | SGD 20 |
| 45-seater coach | SGD 100 | SGD 110 | SGD 200 | SGD 20 |
| 49-seater coach | SGD 110 | SGD 120 | SGD 220 | SGD 20 |
A two way return covers both directions on one booking, with the coach released in between. Compare the vehicles on the fleet page.
The three ways to book a coach
Per trip buys one journey. You give us a pickup, a drop and a time, and the coach leaves once your group is off. It is the cheapest way to move a group in one direction, starting at SGD 85 on the 23-seater.
Hourly hire buys the coach and the driver for a block of time instead, with a four hour minimum. The vehicle stays with you between stops, extra stops are free, and there is no waiting charge. It starts at SGD 50 an hour.
A monthly contract covers a route you repeat, such as a staff shuttle travelling the same way every weekday. It fixes the route and the rate for the term of the contract, and it is quoted as one monthly figure rather than a list price.
Which one to book
There are four plain tests. Start with the number of separate journeys, then the hours the coach would spend doing nothing.
Choose hourly when
The coach must wait between stops, the timings are still moving, or the day has three or more separate journeys. From SGD 50 an hour on a four hour minimum, with no charge for extra stops. See the hourly charter service.
Choose per trip when
The group travels one way, or goes out in the morning and back at night with the coach released in between. From SGD 85 one way and SGD 170 as a two way return on the 23-seater.
Consider a monthly contract when
The same route repeats every week, such as a staff shuttle or a school route. One vehicle and driver cover it, quoted as a single monthly figure, with the route and the rate fixed for the term. See the monthly contract service.
Ask us to price both when
You genuinely cannot tell. Send the stops and the timings to +65 8065 3479 and you get both totals in writing, with the cheaper one named. Or run the numbers on the instant quote calculator.
Six typical days, priced both ways
Each day below is priced two ways, first as separate trips and then by the hour. Nothing here is rounded and nothing is hidden.
| Your day | As per trip | As hourly hire | What to book |
|---|---|---|---|
| One airport arrival, straight to the hotel, 23-seater | SGD 100 airport transfer | SGD 200 for the 4 hour minimum | Per trip, SGD 100 |
| Out in the morning, back at night, coach released in between, 45-seater | SGD 200 two way return | SGD 480 for 8 hours | Per trip, SGD 200 |
| Three pickup points, then one drop, 45-seater | SGD 100 plus two extra stops at SGD 20, so SGD 140 | SGD 240 for the 4 hour minimum | Per trip, SGD 140 |
| Ceremony, lunch, then back to the hotel, coach stays with you, 23-seater | Three journeys at SGD 85, so SGD 255, and waiting is charged in between | SGD 200 for the 4 hour minimum | Hourly, SGD 200 |
| A full day city tour with the driver on standby, 45-seater | Not possible, because the coach is released after each drop | SGD 480 for the 8 hour day | Hourly, SGD 480 |
| The same staff route every weekday, 45-seater | SGD 200 a day as a two way return | SGD 240 a day at the 4 hour minimum | Monthly contract, priced against SGD 200 a day |
The monthly figure is quoted against your route rather than listed, because the hours and the distance differ every time. Read the monthly staff charter numbers.
Where the switch point falls
On the 23-seater, four hours of hourly hire is SGD 200 and a single trip is SGD 85. Two trips come to SGD 170, so per trip still wins. Three trips come to SGD 255, so hourly wins. The line sits at three journeys.
On the 45-seater the four hour block is SGD 240 against SGD 100 a trip. Two trips are SGD 200 and three are SGD 300, so the line sits at three journeys again. The 49-seater behaves the same way at SGD 280 against SGD 110.
Waiting moves that line faster than stops do. On a per trip booking you get 15 minutes free, or 45 minutes on an airport arrival, then SGD 15 for each 15 minute block. Three blocks in, the job becomes a four hour hourly hire anyway.
What both bookings include
The coach, the driver and the all-inclusive figure stay the same, whichever way you book.
Your driver holds a Class 4 or 4A driving licence and a Bus Driver's Vocational Licence. We send you the assigned driver's details before the trip.
Road charges and parking at every stop already sit inside the rate. Nothing is added afterwards.
All three vehicles are air-conditioned, and every seat has a belt. The 45 and 49 seaters have reclining seats, but the 23-seater does not.
Every coach carries a microphone for announcements. There is no wifi, no charging point and no toilet on any vehicle.
A ramp is available on all three vehicle sizes. A motorised chair needs a size and weight check before the day.
The quote names the vehicle, the hours or the trips, and every charge. The invoice comes under UEN 53379842J.
The only four surcharges
These apply to both booking types. Each one is itemised in writing before you confirm anything.
| Surcharge | When it applies | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight | Any trip touching 11pm to 7am | SGD 20 per vehicle |
| Public holiday | A gazetted public holiday | SGD 30 per vehicle |
| Extra stop | Each stop beyond the agreed route, on per trip bookings only | SGD 20 per stop, per vehicle |
| Excess waiting | Beyond 15 minutes of free waiting, or 45 minutes on an airport arrival | SGD 15 per 15 minute block |
Hourly bookings carry neither an extra stop charge nor a waiting charge, because the time is what you have already paid for. Our rates do not change for the festive season.
Hourly and Daily Charter in Action
Frequently Asked Questions
Still sizing the group? Read 23 against 45 seats or the capacity guide. Every service sits on the services hub, and every rate on the pricing page.
Tell Us the Day, We Price It Both Ways
Send your stops, your timings and the number travelling to Singapore Bus Charter on +65 8065 3479, by call or WhatsApp. You get both totals in writing, with the vehicle named and the cheaper option pointed out.
