Coach and minibus hire prices in Glasgow and Scotland (2026)
Coach hire with a driver is priced per vehicle, not per seat. From Glasgow, our 53-seat coach costs from £1,200 a day, or from £1,500 in peak season, and our 16-seat minibus from £375 for an airport pick-up. Hours, mileage, date, waiting time and overnight stays change the price.
Our prices (Glasgow departures)
All prices are “from” prices for a trip from Glasgow. Prices differ by season, and the final price is in your written quote.
| Vehicle | Seats | Our price |
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes Tourismo coach | 53 | From £1,200 a day; from £1,500 in peak season |
| Mercedes Sprinter minibus | 16 | From £375 for an airport pick-up |
The maximum is 10 hours a day. Extra hours may be charged. For our Volvo B8R coach (38 seats), and for any other trip, we quote in writing. Get a quote.
Larger groups, other sizes and extra vehicles travel with a partner operator. Partner vehicles are not part of our fleet, and those trips are quoted one by one. Your written quote says which vehicle you get.
What’s included and what isn’t
A price only means something when you know what’s in it. Every Ritaat Coaches quote is written and lists what is included and what is charged separately.
| Vehicle and driver | Always included: we only hire with a driver |
|---|---|
| Fuel and mileage | Included |
| Insurance | Insured with QBE UK Limited |
| Road and bridge tolls | Included |
| Standard parking | Included |
| Bottled water and Wi-Fi | Included |
| Driver waiting during the hire | Included, within the 10-hour day. At pick-up the driver waits 15 minutes past the booked time at no charge; after that, waiting may be charged |
| Ferry crossings (for example Ireland or France) | Charged at cost and shown on the quote |
| Coach-park or event parking at venues that charge coaches | Charged at cost and shown on the quote |
| Driver’s accommodation and meals on multi-day trips | Charged separately |
| Extra hours | The maximum is 10 hours a day. Extra hours may be charged |
| Attraction tickets, passengers’ food, gratuity | Not included |
We take a 50% deposit to book. The balance is due 7 days before departure. If you book within 7 days of departure, you pay in full when you book. See our terms.
When you compare quotes from different firms, check each of these lines. A lower headline price can leave out parking, overnight costs or extra hours.
What other firms publish
Few coach operators in Scotland publish prices. The figures below are other firms’ published prices, not Ritaat Coaches’ prices. We checked them on 25 October 2026. They change, so check the source before relying on them.
| Source and what it covers | Vehicle | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| 8Rental, Glasgow page (VAT not stated on the page) | 49-seat coach | From £395 for a Glasgow Airport transfer; from £795 for 5 hours; from £950 for 10 hours; from £5.00 a mile outside Glasgow |
| 8Rental, Glasgow page | 16-seat minibus | From £295 for a Glasgow Airport transfer; from £550 for 5 hours; from £780 for 10 hours; from £3.50 a mile outside Glasgow |
| Ratho Coaches’ 2024–25 rate sheet for Edinburgh University Sports Union, Edinburgh to Glasgow and back [verify: the PDF has gone offline and is not archived; delete this row unless a current copy is found] | 8 seats to 53–55 seats | £324 (8 seats) to £560 (53–55 seats) for the return trip |
| Travelforce, London, page dated 7 Nov 2025, “estimates only” | 16-seat standard minibus | £350 to £400 a day; £70 to £90 an hour |
| Travelforce, London | 34 to 37-seat coach | £450 to £600 a day; £90 to £120 an hour |
| Travelforce, London | 49 to 86-seat coach | £600 to £1,000+ a day; £100 to £150+ an hour |
| Coach Hire Comparison, UK-wide “rule of thumb” | Minibus | £45 (standard), £70 (executive), £95 (VIP) an hour |
| Coach Hire Comparison, UK-wide | Coach | £80 (standard), £100 (executive), £130 (VIP) an hour |
“From” means the lowest price for the simplest trip on a quiet date. Quotes for Saturdays, long days or one-way trips with empty return miles are higher. 8Rental’s page says its prices cover fuel, the driver, standard parking and insurance.
What changes the price
These things move a coach hire price for any operator, not only for us.
- Hours. The clock usually runs from when the vehicle leaves its base to when it gets back, not only while passengers are on board. A day out with a long wait in the middle is a full day.
- Mileage, including empty miles. Long trips are often priced per mile. Miles driven empty to reach your pick-up, or to return after a one-way drop, still cost fuel and driver time.
- Vehicle size. A coach costs more than a minibus to buy, insure and run. Two minibuses can cost more than one coach for the same group. See Minibus or coach? Which size do I need.
- Date. Saturdays and December are popular for weddings, football and Christmas outings, so ask early for those dates. Our prices differ by season: the 53-seat coach starts from £1,500 in peak season.
- Driver hours and overnight stays. A coach driver may drive at most 9 hours a day (10 hours twice a week), must take a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving, and needs 11 hours’ daily rest, which can be cut to 9 hours up to three times between weekly rests (GOV.UK drivers’ hours rules). In practice the rest rule limits a working day to about 13 hours, so a very long day may need a second driver or an overnight stop.
- Waiting and late finishes. A return after midnight, or a long wait at a venue, adds hours.
- Parking and city rules. In Edinburgh, council medium-stay coach parking costs £9.80 an hour on weekdays (City of Edinburgh Council). Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee have city-centre low emission zones (mygov.scot).
VAT on coach hire
Ritaat Coaches is VAT registered. Coach hire and minibus hire with a driver is zero-rated for VAT when the vehicle has 10 or more seats. All three of our own vehicles have 16 or more seats, so our prices carry 0% VAT. HMRC zero-rates passenger transport in a vehicle with at least 10 seats, counting the driver’s seat, and standard-rates transport in smaller vehicles (HMRC VAT Notice 744A, sections 2.1, 4.1 and 4.6). Extras sold separately, such as catering, can be standard-rated. If a partner operator supplies the vehicle, your written quote shows the VAT.
Worked example: a school trip from Glasgow to Edinburgh
This example shows how a quote is built. The parking and drop-off figures come from the City of Edinburgh Council; the vehicle line uses our “from” price for a 53-seat coach.
The trip: 45 pupils and 5 staff from a school on the south side of Glasgow, to Edinburgh Castle on a Wednesday in March. Leave school at 08:30 and return by 16:30.
| Line | How it’s worked out | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | 50 people fit our 53-seat Mercedes Tourismo | — |
| Hours | About 08:00 leaving base to 17:00 back at base: about 9 hours, so a full day, inside our 10-hour maximum | From £1,200 |
| Mileage | Glasgow to Edinburgh is about 47 miles by road each way (routecalculator.co.uk): about 94 miles plus local miles | Included |
| Drop-off and pick-up | Castle Terrace coach bay: free, 30 minutes maximum, 08:30 to 18:30 Monday to Saturday (council) | £0 |
| Parking while the group visits | Regent Road medium-stay coach parking, £9.80 an hour, weekdays 08:30 to 17:30 (council). About 5 hours | About £49 |
| Driver hours | About 2 to 3 hours of driving, well inside the 9-hour daily limit. One driver is enough | £0 |
| VAT | Coach with 10 or more seats: zero-rated (see above) | £0 |
| Total | From about £1,250, about £28 per pupil (45 pupils) |
Change one thing and the price moves. A Saturday in June (no council medium-stay parking at weekends), a 19:00 return, a peak-season date (the coach is from £1,500), or a group of 60 (two vehicles, or a larger coach) would each change the total.
How to get an accurate price
Send us these details and we can quote exactly:
- the date, and how flexible it is;
- pick-up and drop-off addresses, and any stops on the way;
- the number of passengers, and whether anyone uses a wheelchair;
- how much luggage, sports kit or golf bags you have;
- the times you need to leave and to be back;
- whether the driver waits, or drops off and comes back later.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a coach for a day in the UK?
There is no national rate. In London, Travelforce publishes £600 to over £1,000 a day for a 49 to 86-seat coach. Coach Hire Comparison’s UK rule of thumb is £80 to £130 an hour, which is roughly £640 to £1,040 for an 8-hour day. Hours, mileage and the date change the price.
How much does it cost to hire a coach in Scotland?
Few Scottish operators publish prices. In Glasgow, 8Rental publishes from £795 for 5 hours and from £950 for 10 hours in a 49-seat coach (VAT not stated). Long trips into the Highlands cost more because of the hours and miles. Our 53-seat coach is from £1,200 a day, or from £1,500 in peak season, and we quote each trip from Glasgow in writing.
How much is a coach and driver per hour?
Coach Hire Comparison’s UK rule of thumb is £80 to £130 an hour for a coach and £45 to £95 an hour for a minibus, depending on the standard of vehicle. In London, Travelforce publishes £100 to £150 or more an hour for a full-size coach. Most trips are priced as a half day or full day rather than by the hour.
How much does it cost to hire a minibus with a driver for the day?
In Glasgow, 8Rental publishes from £780 for 10 hours in a 16-seat minibus. In London, Travelforce publishes £350 to £400 a day for a 16-seat standard minibus. Our Mercedes Sprinter minibus (16 seats) is from £375 for an airport pick-up; other trips are quoted in writing. Vehicle details are on the Sprinter minibus page.
What is the cost per mile for coach hire?
Per-mile pricing is used for long trips. 8Rental’s Glasgow page publishes from £5.00 a mile for a 49-seat coach and from £3.50 a mile for a 16-seat minibus outside Glasgow. Empty miles to reach the pick-up or to return after a one-way trip are usually part of the price.
How much is a 52 or 53-seater coach?
In London, Travelforce publishes £600 to £1,000 or more a day for coaches of 49 to 86 seats. Our own Mercedes Tourismo has 53 seats and is from £1,200 a day, or from £1,500 in peak season. If it is already booked, a partner operator can supply a coach and the written quote says which vehicle you get.
Is VAT charged on coach hire?
No. We are VAT registered, and passenger transport in a vehicle with 10 or more seats is zero-rated, so our prices carry 0% VAT. HMRC zero-rates passenger transport in a vehicle with at least 10 seats, counting the driver’s seat, so most coach and minibus hire with a driver carries no VAT. Transport in a vehicle with fewer than 10 seats is standard-rated, and extras such as catering can be (HMRC VAT Notice 744A).
Is the driver included? Yes, always: see the FAQ.
Get a price for your trip
Tell us the date, the route and how many people are travelling. We’ll send a written quote that lists what is included.
Related: Minibus hire in Glasgow · Mercedes Sprinter minibus · Coach hire in Glasgow · Our vehicles · Glasgow Airport group transfers · School trip coach hire · Wedding coach hire · Glasgow to Edinburgh coach hire