Small group
Toyota Commuter — smallest booking
| Hourly rate | $110 |
|---|---|
| Minimum hire | 3 hours |
| Smallest booking | $330 |
| GST inside that | $30.00 |
| Per seat at 13 | $25.38 |
School excursions
School Bus Hire and Excursion Transport
Bus hire for Sydney schools: excursions, carnivals and sport. Seat-belted vehicles, drivers with a Working with Children Check, risk-assessment paperwork.
- Seat belts fitted throughout
- Drivers with a current Working with Children Check
- Bell-time departure and return
- 2 popular runs planned from Sydney
Start your quote
Tell us about the journey and we will help with the vehicle.
No obligation. Every quote includes the driver, fuel and GST.
Prefer to talk?02 9469 6600
- Quote form
- School and excursion booking
- Runs detailed below
- 2
- Questions answered below
- 4
What you are booking
How School excursions works with us
School transport is judged on paperwork and punctuality long before it is judged on comfort. We supply seat-belted vehicles, drivers who hold a current Working with Children Check, and the documentation an excursion risk assessment asks for, sent through with the quote rather than chased on the morning of the trip. Buses are sized to the class or the squad so a year group is not split across vehicles and a teacher is not counting heads in two car parks. We run to bell times rather than approximate ones, because a late return is the part of the day everybody remembers.
7 – 60
Seats on a single vehicle across the fleet. Larger groups travel as a coordinated convoy.
From $110/hr
Lowest published hourly rate, indicative only until your written quote confirms it.
3 – 4 hours
Minimum hire, depending on the vehicle. Smaller vehicles carry the shorter minimum.
Operator credentials
- NSW Transport accredited
- Drivers hold a current Working With Children Check
- All rates include GST, driver and fuel
- Written quote back within two business hours
- Mon–Fri 7am–6pm, Sat 8am–2pm
- Marrickville depot
Verified by
What the price covers
Inside the quote, and beside it
Everything on the left is in the figure we send you. Everything on the right is confirmed in writing before the day rather than appearing on the invoice afterwards.
Included in every quote
- Seat belts fitted throughout
- Drivers with a current Working with Children Check
- Bell-time departure and return
- One contact for the whole excursion
Confirmed in advance, not included
- Tolls and parking
- Driver accommodation on multi-day trips
- Public holiday and after-hours loading
- Waiting time beyond the booked window
Tolls and parking, venue access fees, driver accommodation on multi-day trips, public-holiday and after-hours loading, and waiting time beyond the booked window. Each of these is itemised and confirmed in advance rather than added afterwards.
What it costs
Pricing for School excursions, and what moves it
Published hourly rates run from $110 an hour for the Toyota Commuter, which seats 13, up to $185 an hour for the Luxury touring coach, which seats 50–57.
- Minimum hire 3 – 4 hours
- All rates include GST, driver and fuel
- Rates last reviewed August 2026
The smallest booking in each size band
Each figure below is the published hourly rate multiplied by that vehicle's minimum hire. It is the floor, not a typical price: a real day is usually longer, and the four items confirmed in advance are quoted separately.
Mid size
Executive minibus — smallest booking
| Hourly rate | $130 |
|---|---|
| Minimum hire | 3 hours |
| Smallest booking | $390 |
| GST inside that | $35.45 |
| Per seat at 24 | $16.25 |
Large group
Luxury coach — smallest booking
| Hourly rate | $165 |
|---|---|
| Minimum hire | 4 hours |
| Smallest booking | $660 |
| GST inside that | $60.00 |
| Per seat at 41 | $16.10 |
What moves the price
Total hours booked, distance beyond the Sydney metropolitan area, the day of the week, the start and finish times, the number of stops, and whether the vehicle waits between legs or is released and returns.
What the $110 rate for the Toyota Commuter assumes
A single Toyota Commuter with a driver, picked up and returned within metropolitan Sydney, during standard weekday hours, with cabin or shared luggage rather than a large case for every seat.
What the $120 rate for the Mercedes V-Class assumes
A single Mercedes V-Class with a driver, within metropolitan Sydney, during standard weekday hours, carrying up to seven passengers with roughly a case each.
What the $120 rate for the Mercedes Sprinter assumes
A single high-roof Mercedes Sprinter with a driver, within metropolitan Sydney, during standard weekday hours, using the rear luggage bay for bags.
What the $130 rate for the Executive minibus assumes
A single executive minibus with a driver, within metropolitan Sydney, during standard weekday hours, with luggage in the overhead and rear storage rather than an underfloor bay.
What the $145 rate for the Executive midi-coach assumes
A single executive midi-coach with a driver, within metropolitan Sydney, during standard weekday hours, using the underfloor luggage bay.
What the $165 rate for the Luxury coach assumes
A single forty-one seat luxury coach with a driver, based on a metropolitan Sydney start, during standard weekday hours, within one driver's legal working day.
What the $180 rate for the Executive coach assumes
A single sixty-seat executive coach with a driver, based on a metropolitan Sydney start, during standard weekday hours, within one driver's legal working day.
What the $185 rate for the Luxury touring coach assumes
A single luxury touring coach with a driver, based on a metropolitan Sydney start, during standard weekday hours. Restroom-equipped vehicles are subject to availability on your dates and are confirmed when we quote.
Indicative only — the price confirmed in your written quote is the price you pay.
Sizing the vehicle
Sizing the vehicle for School excursions
Start with the headcount, then adjust for what the group is carrying. A suitcase each, or a set of sporting gear, moves a booking up a size even when the seats already fit — which is why the quote form asks about luggage as well as passengers.
Group size bands
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Group size | Vehicle | Luggage | Typical trips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–14 | Small group vehicle | Cabin bags and a few suitcases - confirm larger loads with the team | Airport transfers, small corporate groups, private trips |
| 15–24 | Minibus | A suitcase per person on most trips | School excursions, weddings, club and event shuttles |
| 25–27 | Mid-size coach | Underfloor luggage for a suitcase per person | Corporate transfers, day tours, larger event shuttles |
| 28–60 | Full-size coach | Full underfloor hold for luggage and equipment | Long-distance touring, large groups, multi-day travel |
| More than 60 | Coordinated convoy | Full underfloor bays across every coach | Conferences, whole-school movements, festival shuttles |
Every vehicle, smallest to largest
13
Small group
Toyota Commuter
- Thirteen seats plus driver
- Compact or shared luggage
- Short transfers and shuttle runs
From $110/hr
7
Small group
Mercedes V-Class
- Executive people mover
- Luggage for 7
- Airport and VIP transfers
From $120/hr
11–14
Small group
Mercedes Sprinter
- High-roof minibus
- Rear luggage bay
- Tight streets, easy parking
From $120/hr
21–24
Mid size
Executive minibus
- Reclining seats, A/C
- Overhead storage
- School and club favourite
From $130/hr
27
Mid size
Executive midi-coach
- Coach comfort, smaller body
- Underfloor luggage
- PA system
From $145/hr
41
Large group
Luxury coach
- Reclining seats, curtains
- Full luggage bays
- Long-distance ready
From $165/hr
50–57
Large group
Luxury touring coach
- Onboard restroom options
- USB charging
- Interstate and multi-day
From $185/hr
60
Large group
Executive coach
- Maximum seated capacity
- Best cost per passenger
- Event and conference shuttles
From $180/hr
61+
Multiple vehicles
Coordinated convoy
- Two or more coaches
- Single point of contact
- Staggered loading plan
Pricing Quoted per booking
Features vary by vehicle within a band. Restroom-equipped touring coaches are subject to availability on your dates, so ask for one when you enquire and we will confirm it rather than promise it in general. We confirm what is fitted on the specific vehicle assigned to your trip when we quote.
Indicative only — the price confirmed in your written quote is the price you pay.
Where these groups go
Runs we plan most often for School excursions
Each of these has its own page with the shape of the day, the pick-up notes and what the drive actually involves. Distances and driving times are approximate road figures.
Blue Mountains
Day trip · approx. 2 hrs each way
- ≈ 105 km
- 1h 45m – 2h 15m
- Full day
Which vehicle suits the Blue Mountains run
Almost everything in our fleet handles the Great Western Highway, so the choice is really about the day rather than the climb. For up to about twenty-four people an executive minibus is the easy answer — it parks in the village streets, turns around at a lookout car park, and keeps the group in one conversation. Between roughly twenty-five and forty, a midi-coach adds underfloor luggage and a PA, which matters if you are travelling with a guide or a teacher who wants to be heard. Over forty, a full-size coach with reclining seats makes the two-hour legs far more comfortable, and it is the better vehicle if the group includes older travellers. If Jenolan Caves is on your list, tell us early: that leg is long, winding and has its own access constraints, and we check the road and size the vehicle for it rather than assuming.
Canberra
School and club travel
- ≈ 285 km
- 3h – 3h 30m
- Overnight or multi-day
Which vehicle suits the Canberra run
Three hours each way rules out the small end of the fleet. Reclining seats stop being a luxury on a leg this long, and underfloor luggage stops being optional the moment the trip runs overnight — a year group with overnight bags and a club with kit both need a proper bin rather than a rear cupboard. For a class or a squad, an executive minibus or a midi-coach with a PA works well and parks easily at the institutions. For a full year level, a forty-one or sixty-seat coach carries everyone in one vehicle with one driver and one set of arrangements at every venue, which is far easier to supervise than two vehicles arriving three minutes apart. Beyond about sixty passengers we run a coordinated convoy with one run sheet and staggered loading. If the trip is multi-day or continues past Canberra, ask us about a touring coach with restroom options.
Coverage
School excursions across Greater Sydney
We collect from any address in the Sydney basin — a school gate, a hotel forecourt, an office loading zone or a house. There is no travel surcharge inside Greater Sydney, and we confirm a legal, workable stopping point in writing before the day.
Standard coverage — no travel surcharge
Not on the list? It only means nobody has asked for it often enough to put it on the page. Send the address and we will quote it. See every area we cover
FAQs
Before you book
The questions we get most often. If yours isn't here, call and ask — we'd rather answer it now than have you find out later.
Do your drivers hold a Working with Children Check?
Drivers assigned to school work hold a current NSW Working with Children Check, and we supply the driver details your school needs ahead of the trip. If your school runs its own verification process, send it through with the booking and we will complete it before the day.
Can we get the documents our risk assessment needs?
Yes. We can provide a certificate of currency for our insurance, our NSW operator accreditation details and driver information ahead of the excursion. Ask for them with the quote so the paperwork sits with the booking instead of being requested twice.
Are seat belts fitted?
Our minibuses and coaches are fitted with seat belts throughout, which is the first thing most excursion policies ask about. Tell us the year group when you book and we will confirm what is fitted on the specific vehicle assigned to your trip, rather than answering in general terms.
Can one booking cover a multi-stop carnival day?
Yes, and it is usually cheaper than separate bookings. One vehicle and one driver can run the morning transfer, stay for the day and do the return, or shuttle between venues on a schedule we build with you. Send the draw or the timetable and we will write the run sheet around it.
Reviews
What Sydney groups say
5.0 out of 5
I must say, from start to finish Sydney Buses provided an absolutely wonderful service. Gordon was ever so helpful during the booking process and nothing was too much trouble. The buses were spotless and the drivers were courteous…
Jeff
5.0 out of 5
We came over from America with a pretty big group and used Sydneybuses during our time in Sydney. Honestly, the whole experience was great. The bus was super clean, comfortable, and actually felt high quality compared to a lot of charter…
david bhai
Driver was extremely helpful. Thank you Sydney Buses for your service.
Chris Burges
Next step
Get a written quote for School excursions
Give us the date, the headcount and where the group starts and finishes. We size the vehicle against that rather than against a guess, and the figure you receive in writing is the figure you pay.
Indicative only — the price confirmed in your written quote is the price you pay.
Tell us about the trip
Date, pick-up suburb and group size to begin. We confirm the rest by phone and send the price in writing.