8 Best Bus Charter Companies in Singapore (October 2026)

A bus charter in Singapore means hiring a whole bus with its driver for your group, priced per trip or by the hour. Bus rental, bus hire and coach charter all mean the same thing here. The common sizes are a 19 to 23-seat mini coach and a 40, 45 or 49-seat coach. One-way and two-way transfers are priced per trip, and anything with several stops or a long wait is usually hourly, with a four-hour minimum.

The bus has to be registered for the job. OneMotoring lists five types of bus, and the two you'll normally charter are a Private Hire Bus, which can be hired out to take a group to an event, and an Excursion Bus, which is mainly for tourists but can carry students and workers too. A Private Bus is different. It can only carry the owner's own staff, at no profit. Whichever you get, the driver needs LTA's Bus Driver's Vocational Licence.

These ranges come from the rate cards that A&S Transit, Amarjit & Sons and Sinbus publish, checked in October 2026. Most bus companies here quote on request, so treat them as a guide. Prices are per bus, not per person.

On a full 45-seater, a $105 transfer works out to about $2.30 a head. Before you compare quotes, check that they're for the same bus size and whether ERP, parking and late-night charges are in the price.

If you're looking to hire a bus in Singapore for the first time, these are the things I'd check before paying a deposit.

• A bus registered for hire. OneMotoring says a bus can only be used for the purpose it's registered for. A Private Hire Bus can be chartered to take a group to an event, and an Excursion Bus can carry tourists, students and workers. A Private Bus can only carry its owner's own staff, at no profit, so it shouldn't be hired out to you.
• A driver with a BDVL. LTA requires a Bus Driver's Vocational Licence (BDVL) to drive a Private Hire Bus, School Bus or Excursion Bus. Applicants must be at least 21 and have held a Class 3 or 3A licence for more than a year, and the licence lasts three years.
• Insurance that fits the trip. LTA leaves it to the bus owner to carry enough insurance for the kind of service it runs. For a school trip or a company event, ask what the policy covers per passenger.
• Seat belts, worn. Under the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Wearing of Seat Belts) Rules 2011, every bus passenger has to wear a seat belt where one is fitted, and the driver has to make sure they do.
• The extras on the rate card. Free waiting time, the late-night surcharge, extra stops, and whether ERP and parking are in the price.
• A pick-up point that isn't a bus stop. Private buses need LTA approval, applied for at least a month ahead, to use a public bus stop. Plan pick-ups at a building's driveway or coach bay instead.

School groups have extra rules. On a bus carrying school children, three children aged up to 12 can share a bench meant for two adults, but never more children than there are seat belts, and children under 18 can't stand on a school activity trip. A bus going to a childcare centre or kindergarten, or authorised to carry more than 30 children, must have an attendant holding a Bus Attendant's Vocational Licence. Ask your charter company how it meets each of these.

I started from the bus and coach charter companies that come up most on Google and Google Maps, then read each company's own fleet, services and rates pages. I checked every rating on Google Maps myself on 28 October 2026, and only quote one where the profile clearly belongs to the company. Ratings shown on a company's own site don't count.

I left out two of the largest private bus operators, both under three stars on Google, a company whose WhatsApp button opened a different number from the one it displayed, a site carrying hidden spam text, a business trading under two names with two Google profiles, and companies with fewer than 20 reviews. I'll update the list when the rates change.

Chartering a bus in Singapore costs about $80 to $130 for a one-way transfer in a 40 to 49-seat coach, or $65 to $130 an hour with a four-hour minimum, based on the rates three companies publish. A 23-seat bus is $70 to $90 one way, and an airport transfer in a big coach runs $130 to $150.

Late-night trips cost $20 to $120 more depending on the company, and waiting past the free period is charged in 15-minute blocks or as a share of the one-way fare.

Book a 19 to 23-seat mini coach for up to 23 people, a 40 or 45-seater for 24 to 45, and a 49-seater for a group close to 50. Leave a few seats spare if your headcount might grow, and size up for luggage. Koh Bus says its 49-seater takes up to 45 large suitcases.

Past 49 people you'll need two buses, or a double-decker such as A&S Transit's People Mover Deluxe or City Tours' 55-seat FunVee.

Yes, where the bus has them. Singapore's seat belt rules for motor vehicles apply to every bus, and every passenger must wear a seat belt that's available for their use. The driver has to make sure they do. Passengers shorter than 1.35 metres are exempt from that rule.

A first offence can bring a fine of up to $1,000. On a school trip, ask for a bus with three-point belts on forward-facing seats.

Yes. LTA says Singapore-registered excursion buses may be chartered to and from Malaysia, picking up and dropping off wherever you arrange with the bus company. In Malaysia the bus needs valid permits from APAD, Malaysia's land transport agency, and must carry a licensed Malaysian tour guide.

Malaysian-registered excursion buses aren't allowed to pick up a group starting its trip in Singapore. So ask which bus, which permits and which guide your trip uses before you pay.

A bus charter driver in Singapore needs LTA's Bus Driver's Vocational Licence (BDVL) plus a driving licence for the right class of vehicle. To apply for a BDVL, a driver must be a Singapore Citizen, a Permanent Resident or a Work Permit holder whose job is bus driver, be at least 21, and have held a Class 3 or 3A licence for more than a year.

The licence lasts three years, and drivers can hold one until they turn 75. A good charter company will confirm this without being asked.