In Rome many groups are too big for two cars and too small for a 54-seat coach: a class with its teachers, twenty guests to take from the church to the villa, a company delegation of fifteen, a parish group heading to a basilica. For these numbers, minibus hire with driver is often the most sensible choice, because the vehicle is the right size and goes where a coach struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our minibuses have 16 to 27 seats, with smaller 8-seat models, and are always driven by our own drivers, who hold a category D licence and a CQC (the professional driver qualification card). On this page we explain when a minibus makes sense, what changes in the historic centre and what we need for a quote. If the group is larger, the alternatives are the buses and Gran Turismo coaches of our coach and bus hire in Rome<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first criterion is the number of people, but it is not the only one. With 25 passengers and light luggage a minibus works well; with 25 passengers and a week’s worth of suitcases, as on an airport transfer, a 36-seat bus with a larger luggage hold may be the better option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second criterion is the route. A 56-seat Gran Turismo coach<\/a> is the right choice for a journey of several hours on the motorway, with reclining seats and, on some models, on-board facilities. A minibus is better suited to a day with many stops in the city, narrow streets and courtyards to reach. The difference between a minibus and a Gran Turismo coach<\/a> therefore shows mainly in the type of route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third criterion is cost. If the group is 18 people, a minibus costs less than a coach that would travel with two thirds of its seats empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main advantage of a minibus in Rome is its size. It gets into the courtyards of hotels and schools, stops in spaces where a Gran Turismo coach has no room to manoeuvre, and gets closer to the destination. For a group with elderly people or children this means less walking and less time lost between one stop and the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Size alone, however, does not get you in everywhere. Central Rome has ZTL permits for tour coaches<\/a> (the ZTL is the Zona a Traffico Limitato, the restricted traffic zone), with gates and dedicated parking areas, and these rules have to be checked for minibuses too. When you give us an address, we check access and suggest the closest permitted pick-up and drop-off point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The minibus also works as a support vehicle. If a venue, for example a villa in the hills or a village in the Castelli Romani<\/a>, cannot be reached by coach, we set up an intermediate transfer point: the coach takes the group to a car park and the minibus covers the last few hundred metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For schools the minibus covers many services: educational outings<\/a> in the city, transfers between sites, regular home-to-school services. We have multi-year school transport contracts with Rome International School and Acorn International School, and all vehicles used for schools have seat belts on every seat. The same standard applies to school transport for private schools<\/a> in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For weddings<\/a> the minibus is the typical guest shuttle when the ceremony is in the centre and the reception outside the city. Between a church in the centre and a villa in the Castelli Romani you need at least 45 minutes, and a 20-seat minibus making two runs is often more practical than a large coach. We organise the guest shuttle for villa weddings<\/a> on this model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parishes and associations use the minibus for short pilgrimages<\/a> and visits to the basilicas; companies use it for shuttles between offices, the station and hotels, or for a group transfer from Fiumicino<\/a> for small groups of guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The range we use in Rome covers three bands. For groups of up to 8 people there are minivans and small minibuses. Between 16 and 27 seats there are full-size minibuses, suitable for schools, weddings and companies. There is also a middle option, the 20-seat van or coach<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Above 27 seats you move up to the 36-seat bus, the standard vehicle for school day trips out of town, and then to the 54-56 seat Gran Turismo coach. More than half of our fleet is Euro 6, and maintenance is carried out in our in-house workshop: if a vehicle breaks down, a replacement vehicle steps in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cost of a 17-20 seat minibus with driver depends on the length of the service, the time, the kilometres and any waiting hours, which have an hourly rate set in advance in the quote. Quotes are free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The written quote includes driver, fuel, passenger insurance and maintenance. Tolls, the driver’s overnight accommodation on trips of several days and extra routes are shown separately. Coach hire rates in Rome<\/a> change with the vehicle category, from minibus to Gran Turismo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To prepare the quote we need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We reply within a few hours during business hours. In normal periods it is best to book 2-3 weeks ahead; for spring and for services with several vehicles, 2-3 months ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMinibus or coach: where to draw the line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Minibuses in Rome’s historic centre<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who asks us for a minibus in Rome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Capacity: from 8 to 27 seats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Indicative prices for minibus hire in Rome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to request a quote for a minibus with driver in Rome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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