Louisiana Charter Bus Rental for Festivals, Game Days and Every Parish in Between

From a 14-seat Sprinter van for a French Quarter dinner to a line of 56-passenger motorcoaches for a convention at the riverfront, BUSXOXO books charter buses, minibuses and shuttles across Louisiana with professional drivers, clear pricing and a real person answering the phone at any hour.

Get a free quote Call +1 (308) 304-6668

Most Louisiana charter trips ride the I-10 corridor at some point. Here is how the four busiest cities line up from west to east, with the distance a coach covers between each.

Lake CharlesSouthwest Louisiana, casino resorts75 mi to Lafayette
LafayetteAcadiana, Cajun and Creole country55 mi to Baton Rouge
Baton RougeCapital Region, LSU and the Capitol80 mi to New Orleans
New OrleansAirport, cruise port and the SuperdomeGateway to the Gulf Coast

Off the corridor, I-49 climbs north to Alexandria and Shreveport, I-12 serves the Northshore, and I-20 links Shreveport, Ruston and Monroe. Our charter buses run all of those routes, plus the two-lane roads to plantations, swamp landings and small-town festivals.

7 vehicle types from 14-seat vans to 56-seat coaches
24/7 quotes and trip-day support
Licensed, insured operators on every booking

Why Louisiana groups travel better on a charter bus

Louisiana rewards groups that move together and quietly punishes the ones that don't. A wedding party that splits into eleven rideshares loses half its guests somewhere between the Garden District and the reception hall. A school group driving personal cars to the State Capitol spends its first hour circling downtown Baton Rouge for parking. A company flying three hundred people into New Orleans for a conference learns fast that Canal Street at five o'clock is no place to improvise.

A charter bus takes care of the part of the trip nobody wants to think about. One vehicle, one driver who has already studied the route, one pickup time everybody knows. Your group stays together, arrives together and heads home together, whether the day runs from a Kenner hotel to a Tiger Stadium tailgate or from downtown Lafayette to a crawfish boil in Breaux Bridge.

BUSXOXO arranges that transportation throughout the state. We match your headcount to the right vehicle, check the route against local conditions such as parade closures, venue staging rules and long bridge crossings, and confirm every detail in writing before the wheels turn. You keep a single point of contact from the first quote to the last drop-off, and our support line stays open overnight, because Louisiana events rarely wrap up at nine.

Treat this page as a working planner rather than a brochure. Further down you'll find a headcount-based vehicle chooser, notes on every region of the state, real driving distances between cities, a month-by-month event calendar and honest price ranges. Take what helps, skip what doesn't, and when your dates are set, send them to us for a quote.

Planning something outside Louisiana too? BUSXOXO books group transportation in every state we serve, so a single coordinator can handle a trip that starts in New Orleans and finishes in Houston or on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Pick your Louisiana charter bus by group size

Seat count drives almost everything else in a charter quote: the price, where the vehicle can park, and whether it can turn down a narrow Uptown street. Move the slider to your headcount for a sensible starting point, then scroll through the full fleet to see where each vehicle does its best work in Louisiana.

How many people are riding? 40

50-passenger charter bus

Forty riders fit comfortably with spare seats for bags and a chaperone or two.

See the 50-passenger charter bus

Sprinter van
10 to 14 passengers

The easy answer for airport runs from MSY to French Quarter hotels, bachelorette weekends, and brewery or winery hops across the Northshore. Tall enough to stand in, small enough for hotel porte-cocheres.
15-passenger van
Up to 15 passengers

Small church groups, youth teams and family reunions heading out to Toledo Bend or a Lake Charles resort, where a larger vehicle would sit half empty.
Minibus
18 to 25 passengers

Our go-to for wedding guest shuttles in the Garden District and Uptown, where oak roots, parked cars and tight corners make life hard for a 45-foot coach.
Midsize minibus
30 to 35 passengers

Corporate site visits along the Baton Rouge industrial corridor, and college visit days at LSU, Tulane or UL Lafayette where campus roads favor a shorter wheelbase.
Shuttle bus
20 to 40 passengers

Built for loops rather than long hauls: convention hotels to the riverfront convention center, remote parking to a festival gate, or a hotel block to a wedding venue and back all night.
50-passenger charter bus
40 to 50 passengers

Band trips, choir tours and school field trips to the State Capitol or the National WWII Museum, with underfloor bays that swallow instruments and overnight bags.
55 to 56-passenger motorcoach
Up to 56 passengers

The workhorse for game days at Tiger Stadium and the Superdome, cruise transfers, statewide tours and any trip past two hours. Read more on our full-size charter bus page.
Executive coach
25 to 50 passengers

Client roadshows, board retreats and energy-sector site tours where passengers expect to work, take calls or hold a briefing on the move.
Party bus
15 to 40 passengers

Bachelor and bachelorette nights, proms and milestone birthdays. Rules on alcohol and minors depend on the operator and local law, and we spell them out before you book.
School bus
Up to 70 riders (smaller for adults)

A budget-friendly pick for short local hops such as day camps and in-town field trips, when a restroom and luggage bay aren't needed.

Most full-size coaches come with reclining seats, climate control, underfloor luggage bays and an onboard restroom, while Wi-Fi and power outlets vary from coach to coach. We confirm each amenity in writing so nothing is assumed; our charter bus amenities checklist and guide to onboard restrooms explain what to ask for. Still torn between two sizes? Compare a minibus and a coach bus, weigh a charter bus against a Sprinter van, read what size charter bus you need, or browse every vehicle we offer.

Charter bus service across Louisiana, region by region

Louisiana looks compact on a map and turns complicated on the ground. Water shapes nearly every route, parishes stand in for counties, and each region runs on its own calendar of games, festivals and harvests. These notes cover what our coordinators actually plan around in each part of the state.

New Orleans charter bus rental

New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Harahan, Gretna and the Westbank

New Orleans generates more charter trips than anywhere else in the state, and a large share of them begin at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) in Kenner, roughly fifteen miles west of downtown. Convention groups loop between Canal Street hotels and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center along the riverfront. Cruise passengers transfer to the Erato Street and Julia Street terminals. Fans pour into the Caesars Superdome and the Smoothie King Center for Saints and Pelicans games, the Sugar Bowl and the Bayou Classic.

The city's charm is also its logistical puzzle. The French Quarter's grid dates to the 1700s and many of its streets are off limits to large vehicles, so motorcoach groups usually board at designated loading points on the edge of the Quarter. Uptown and the Garden District are lined with live oaks and parked cars that suit a minibus better than a 45-foot coach. And during Carnival, parade routes along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street close for hours at a stretch. We build pickup plans around all three.

School and heritage groups tend to pair the National WWII Museum with a riverfront lunch, while evening tours head for the city's famously haunted houses. For festival season, our Mardi Gras planning guide explains why transportation needs to be booked months ahead. Visitor information lives at New Orleans & Company, the city's official tourism site.

Baton Rouge charter bus rental

Baton Rouge, Port Allen, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Zachary and Plaquemine

Eighty miles up the Mississippi from New Orleans, the capital runs on three kinds of trips, and each needs a different plan.

Game days

An LSU home game draws more than 100,000 fans to Tiger Stadium, and campus traffic locks up hours before kickoff. Buses use assigned lots and drop zones that can change game to game, so we confirm the current parking arrangement with you in advance. See our sports team and fan transportation page.

Civic and school visits

At 34 stories, the Louisiana State Capitol is the tallest state capitol building in the country, and it anchors thousands of field trips each year alongside the Old State Capitol, the USS Kidd Veterans Museum and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum.

Industry and contractors

The river corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is lined with plants and terminals. Turnaround crews, safety orientations and visiting engineers need dependable shuttles on fixed schedules, often around the clock.

Planning tip: I-10 through Baton Rouge, especially the Mississippi River Bridge, is one of the busiest pinch points in the state. For morning events downtown, we pad departure times rather than hoping for a clear run.

Lafayette charter bus rental

Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, Scott, St. Martinville, New Iberia, Opelousas and Abbeville

Acadiana is where groups come to eat, dance and listen. Lafayette's Festival International de Louisiane fills downtown every April, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival follows in May, and weekends in between bring zydeco breakfasts, boudin runs and dance halls that fill up well before dark. It is a region best seen in a loop, with a bus that waits while your group lingers.

Heritage stops include Vermilionville and the Acadian Village for Cajun and Creole history, the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville, and Avery Island near New Iberia, home of the Tabasco pepper sauce factory. Swamp tours launch from landings around Henderson on the edge of the Atchafalaya Basin, the country's largest river swamp. Our roundup of historic homes in Louisiana is a good place to start a heritage itinerary.

Know before you go: Between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, I-10 crosses the Atchafalaya Basin on a bridge about 18 miles long, with few exits and nowhere to pull over. A full-size coach with an onboard restroom makes that stretch far easier for school groups and older travelers.

Lake Charles charter bus rental

Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake, Vinton, DeRidder and Cameron Parish

Southwest Louisiana books a lot of weekend casino trips. L'Auberge Casino Resort and the Golden Nugget sit side by side on the lake, and Delta Downs Racetrack in Vinton pairs horse racing with gaming just across from the Texas line. Groups from Houston and Beaumont often charter a coach here rather than drive, which leaves nobody stuck as designated driver. Our casino bus rental page covers how those trips work.

Outside the resorts, the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road draws birding clubs and nature groups toward the marshes and the Gulf beaches of Cameron Parish, which our guide to Louisiana's beaches covers in more detail. In spring, Contraband Days brings pirate-themed festivities to the lakefront. Traveling east from Texas? Our Texas charter bus team handles cross-border pickups.

Shreveport charter bus rental

Shreveport, Bossier City, Minden, Natchitoches Parish border and the Toledo Bend area

Why do groups charter in Shreveport-Bossier?: Riverboat casinos line both banks of the Red River, the State Fair of Louisiana runs each fall, and the Independence Bowl brings college football fans in December. Barksdale Air Force Base, with its Global Power Museum, keeps a steady flow of military and veterans' groups on the move, which our government and military transportation team supports.
What do school groups visit?: The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum with its famous dioramas, Sci-Port Discovery Center, the R.W. Norton Art Gallery and the gardens of the American Rose Center.
How far is Dallas?: About 190 miles west on I-20, roughly three hours by coach, which makes Shreveport a natural start for trips into North Texas. Groups heading north can reach Little Rock through our Arkansas charter bus service.

Monroe charter bus rental

Monroe, West Monroe, Ruston, Bastrop and Tallulah

Northeast Louisiana is a college region first. Louisiana Tech in Ruston and the University of Louisiana Monroe keep buses busy with athletics, recruiting visits and student organization trips. Monroe's Biedenharn Museum & Gardens tells the story of the first bottler of Coca-Cola, and the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum honors the Flying Tigers' commander.

Poverty Point World Heritage Site near Epps preserves earthworks built more than 3,000 years ago and is a strong choice for history classes.
Vicksburg sits about 75 miles east across the Mississippi River, so battlefield trips pair easily with things to do in Vicksburg on a single day out.
Continuing into Mississippi? Our Mississippi charter bus page covers Jackson, the Natchez Trace and the coast.

Alexandria charter bus rental

Alexandria, Pineville, Natchitoches, Leesville, Marksville and Kisatchie National Forest

Central Louisiana sits where I-49 meets the Red River, which makes Alexandria a practical midpoint for statewide conferences and church gatherings that draw from every corner. An hour northwest, Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, founded in 1714, and its Christmas Festival of Lights fills the brick riverfront every December with fireworks and hundreds of thousands of lights. Holiday coach trips there book up early.

To the west, Fort Johnson (formerly Fort Polk) in Vernon Parish generates troop, family and ceremony transportation, while Kisatchie National Forest draws scout troops and outdoor programs. Northwestern State University in Natchitoches adds game days and band travel to the mix.

Northshore charter bus rental

Mandeville, Covington, Slidell, Hammond, Madisonville and Abita Springs

North of Lake Pontchartrain, the pace slows and the wedding calendar fills. Covington and Mandeville host a busy circuit of barn, garden and lakefront venues, and guests staying in New Orleans need a way across the lake that doesn't involve a designated driver. Hammond is home to Southeastern Louisiana University, and the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom runs wagon safaris that school groups love.

The quickest crossing is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, a pair of parallel bridges about 24 miles long. When winds pick up, bridge officials can restrict high-profile vehicles such as buses, so for time-critical trips we keep the I-10 route through Slidell ready as a fallback and tell you in advance if the plan changes. Wedding couples should also read our comparison of a wedding shuttle and a charter bus.

Plantation tour and bayou charter buses

Vacherie, Wallace, Darrow, LaPlace, Houma, Thibodaux and Grand Isle

The River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge holds the state's best-known plantation sites. Oak Alley is famous for its double row of 28 live oaks, each roughly three centuries old, Whitney Plantation focuses its tours on the lives of enslaved people, and Houmas House and Laura Plantation round out full-day itineraries. Most groups pick two sites and add lunch, and one coach can handle that comfortably within a standard day.

Farther south, Houma and Thibodaux are the heart of Bayou Country. Swamp tours, Cajun cooking classes and Nicholls State University visits all start here, and Grand Isle, Louisiana's only inhabited barrier island, sits at the end of LA-1. Many bayou roads are two-lane with narrow shoulders, so we check that the vehicle size fits your final stop, not just the highway. For more ideas, browse our list of things to do in Louisiana and the state's amusement and water parks.

Popular charter bus routes in and out of Louisiana

Distance matters more than people expect when pricing a charter. It decides whether one driver can cover the whole day, whether a coach needs an overnight stay, and how much buffer to build in for traffic. These are the trips we see most, with realistic coach drive times in normal conditions.

Trips within Louisiana

Route	Miles	Drive time	Usually for
New Orleans to Baton Rouge	80	1 hr 20 min	LSU games, Capitol visits
Baton Rouge to Lafayette	55	1 hr	Festivals, campus visits
Lafayette to Lake Charles	75	1 hr 15 min	Casino weekends
New Orleans to Vacherie	50	1 hr	Plantation tours
New Orleans to Houma	57	1 hr 5 min	Swamp tours
New Orleans to Mandeville	35	45 min	Northshore weddings
Lafayette to Natchitoches	145	2 hr 15 min	Festival of Lights
Alexandria to Shreveport	125	2 hr	Conferences, fair week
Shreveport to Monroe	100	1 hr 35 min	College athletics
New Orleans to Shreveport	320	5 hr	Statewide tournaments

Trips to neighboring states

Route	Miles	Drive time	Usually for
New Orleans to Biloxi, MS	90	1 hr 30 min	Coast casinos
New Orleans to Jackson, MS	185	2 hr 50 min	Conferences, games
Monroe to Vicksburg, MS	75	1 hr 15 min	Battlefield trips
New Orleans to Mobile, AL	145	2 hr 15 min	Mardi Gras, cruises
Lake Charles to Houston, TX	140	2 hr 15 min	Airports, concerts
New Orleans to Houston, TX	350	5 hr 15 min	Corporate, sports
Shreveport to Dallas, TX	190	3 hr	Games, conventions
Shreveport to Little Rock, AR	215	3 hr 30 min	Church and school trips
New Orleans to Nashville, TN	530	8 hr	Choir and band tours

Miles and times are approximate and assume a coach at posted speeds with no incidents. Add time for rush hour in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, event traffic, and rest stops.

Longer trips follow federal driver-hour limits. A charter bus driver can drive up to 10 hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty, and can't drive after 15 hours on duty. A New Orleans to Nashville run fits one driver, but a round trip in a single day does not. For those, we plan a second driver or an overnight stop and show that cost up front.

Crossing state lines? See our Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee pages, plus destination ideas like things to do in Biloxi, Space Center Houston and things to do in Dallas. Deciding how to structure the trip? Read round-trip vs one-way charter bus rental.

The Louisiana group travel calendar

Louisiana's busiest charter weeks line up with its biggest parties. When a festival or a home game lands on your date, buses in that city can sell out months ahead, so here is when demand spikes and how early to lock in a vehicle.

Peak demand, book earliestSteady demand

January
Sugar Bowl and the start of Carnival
The Sugar Bowl fills the Superdome around New Year's Day, and Carnival season officially opens on January 6. Crawfish season gets going too, which means boil-and-tour outings start filling weekends.
Book 2 to 3 months ahead
February
Mardi Gras
Fat Tuesday falls on February 9 in 2027, with the heaviest parade days on the long weekend before it. Lafayette, Houma, Lake Charles and Shreveport-Bossier run their own parades, so demand spikes statewide. Our Mardi Gras guide covers what to expect.
Book 4 to 6 months ahead
March
Spring field trips and St. Joseph's Day
Schools pack the calendar with Capitol and museum visits, and St. Joseph's Day altars on March 19 draw church groups across the New Orleans area.
Book 6 to 8 weeks ahead
April
French Quarter Festival and Festival International
French Quarter Festival brings free stages across the Quarter, while Festival International de Louisiane takes over downtown Lafayette late in the month.
Book 3 to 4 months ahead
Late April to May
Jazz Fest, crawfish and graduations
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival runs across two weekends at the Fair Grounds Race Course. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival follows in early May, and college graduations fill hotels in every campus town.
Book 4 to 6 months ahead
June
Summer camps and hurricane season
Church youth trips and day camps take over, and Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. Ask about flexible rebooking when you reserve.
Book 4 to 6 weeks ahead
July
Essence Festival of Culture
Held around the Fourth of July weekend at the Superdome and the convention center, Essence brings one of the year's biggest crowds to New Orleans, along with heavy shuttle demand between hotels and venues.
Book 3 to 5 months ahead
August
Back to school and Satchmo SummerFest
Early August brings a Louis Armstrong celebration to the French Quarter, and schools start booking fall trips and athletic travel.
Book 4 to 6 weeks ahead
September to November
Football season, fairs and the Bayou Classic
Every LSU, Saints, Tulane and small-college home game adds demand. Shreveport hosts the Red River Revel in early October and the State Fair of Louisiana later in the fall, and the Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern closes out Thanksgiving weekend in the Superdome.
Book 3 to 6 months ahead for game days
December
Festival of Lights and holiday parties
Natchitoches lights its riverfront, City Park stages Celebration in the Oaks, and bonfires line the Mississippi River levees in St. James Parish on Christmas Eve. Corporate holiday parties keep evening shuttles busy all month.
Book 6 to 10 weeks ahead

Dates shift slightly from year to year, so confirm on each event's official site or the Louisiana Office of Tourism before you finalize. Traveling over a holiday weekend? Our tips on charter bus rental for holiday travel and chartering a bus for a concert will help.

Charter buses for the trips Louisiana groups plan most

Every trip type comes with its own quirks, from the second line that closes out a New Orleans wedding to the pre-dawn call time for a plant turnaround crew. Here is how we handle the ones we book most often.

Weddings and second lines

Guests staying in the French Quarter, a ceremony Uptown, a reception across the lake: Louisiana weddings sprawl. We run shuttles on a set loop so nobody waits long, and when the evening ends with a brass band second line, the bus stages at the finish point instead of the start.

Plan it with our wedding bus rental service and wedding transportation ideas.

Conventions and corporate events

New Orleans hosts some of the largest conventions in the South, and Baton Rouge adds government and industry meetings. We run timed hotel loops, airport arrivals by flight block and offsite dinners with name-list check-in.

See corporate charter buses and the benefits for corporate events.

School and college trips

Capitol tours, museum days, band competitions and campus visits, with seat belts where available and drivers used to student groups.

Read why schools charter and school bus vs charter bus.

Game days and team travel

Tiger Stadium tailgates, Superdome kickoffs and away games across the Southland and SEC, with luggage bays sized for team gear.

Church and faith groups

Revivals, youth retreats, choir tours and mission trips, often with one coach carrying several congregations to a shared event.

See church bus rental and church van vs charter bus.

Cruise port transfers

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and other lines sail from the Port of New Orleans. We take groups from MSY or hotels to the terminal, then back on disembarkation morning.

How it works: cruise port transfers.

Airport transfers

Group arrivals and departures at MSY, Baton Rouge Metropolitan, Lafayette Regional, Lake Charles Regional and Shreveport Regional, timed to flight blocks.

See airport charter buses and airport pickup rules.

Casino and nightlife trips

Lake Charles, Shreveport-Bossier, Baton Rouge and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with a driver who stays sober so your group doesn't have to.

Festivals and concerts

Jazz Fest, Essence, Festival International and stadium tours all come with road closures and remote parking. A charter bus with a pre-agreed pickup spot beats hunting for a rideshare when 50,000 people leave at once.

Read festival and concert transportation.

Government, military and private tours

Fort Johnson, Barksdale Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans all move people in groups. So do family reunions and private sightseeing parties that want their own schedule.

See government and military transport or private bus rental.

Local knowledge that keeps a Louisiana trip on schedule

Most charter delays in Louisiana aren't breakdowns. They're a street that turned out to be closed, a curb that doesn't allow buses, or a bridge the driver didn't expect. These are the situations we check for before your trip, so you don't have to.

Official resources we rely on

511 Louisiana for live road conditions
Louisiana DOTD for construction and closures
National Hurricane Center for storm outlooks

French Quarter and Uptown access

Large buses can't use many French Quarter streets, and parking a coach there isn't realistic. We'll set a loading point on the edge of the Quarter that works for your group and send you a pin to share with guests. In Uptown and the Garden District, we often recommend a minibus so the vehicle can reach the door rather than stopping a block away.

Carnival parade closures

From the first big weekend of parades through Fat Tuesday, the city closes routes and cross streets hours before floats roll, and buses can get boxed in on the wrong side of a route. We plan pickups on the side of the route where your group will be standing and schedule departures around the published parade times.

Long bridges and river crossings

Louisiana routes run over a lot of water. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge on I-10 and the Crescent City Connection into the Westbank all mean long stretches with no exits. We schedule restroom stops before those crossings and keep alternates ready when wind or wrecks close a span. The Causeway charges a toll, which we include in your quote.

Heat, humidity and afternoon storms

From May through September, a bus parked in the sun gets hot fast. Drivers pre-cool the cabin before boarding, and we suggest scheduling outdoor stops for the morning when summer thunderstorms tend to hold off. Pack water for anyone with a long walk from a stadium lot.

Hurricane season and rebooking

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. If a named storm threatens your dates, we'll talk through rescheduling options early instead of waiting for evacuation orders. Our return and refund policy explains how weather cancellations are handled.

Stadiums, arenas and event venues

Tiger Stadium, the Superdome, the Smoothie King Center and the convention center each have their own bus staging rules, and they can change by event. We confirm the current drop-off and pickup zone and where the coach waits, and we give your group leader the driver's direct number for the post-game scramble.

Airport and cruise terminal curbs

At MSY, charter vehicles use the airport's designated commercial ground transportation areas rather than the regular passenger curb, so we tell arriving travelers exactly where to walk. At the Port of New Orleans, buses drop at the terminal assigned to your sailing. General parking rules for our buses are on our parking and pickup guidelines page.

Rural roads and small-town venues

Some plantation driveways, swamp tour landings and barn wedding venues can't take a 45-foot coach, or have soft ground after rain. We ask about the final stretch of road, not just the address, and switch to a smaller vehicle or shuttle transfer when the last mile demands it.

How much a charter bus costs in Louisiana

Charter pricing isn't a fixed menu, but it isn't a mystery either. Most Louisiana trips are priced by the hour for local work and by the day for longer runs, with a minimum number of hours per booking. The ranges below are typical planning numbers; your quote will reflect your actual date, route and vehicle.

Vehicle	Seats	Typical hourly	Typical daily
Sprinter van	8 to 15	$95 to $180	$850 to $1,400
Minibus	18 to 30	$120 to $220	$1,000 to $1,800
Shuttle bus	20 to 40	$110 to $250	$1,100 to $2,000
Full-size charter bus	50 to 56	$180 to $350	$1,500 to $2,800
Executive coach	25 to 50	$220 to $400	$1,800 to $3,200
Party bus	15 to 40	$200 to $450	$1,600 to $3,500

Ranges are planning estimates, not quotes. Peak event dates such as Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and LSU home games usually price at the top of the range or above it.

What moves the price

Date and demand. A Tuesday in August costs less than a Saturday during Jazz Fest.
Hours or miles. Local trips bill hourly with a minimum; long runs bill by the day or mile.
Positioning time. If the nearest available coach is in another city, travel to your pickup can be part of the cost.
Overnights. Multi-day trips include a hotel room for the driver.
Tolls, parking and permits. The Causeway toll, venue bus parking and any event permits are listed separately.
Gratuity. Usually 10 to 20 percent. See how much to tip a charter bus driver.

How Louisiana groups save

Pick one bigger coach over two small vehicles when the whole group moves together.
Travel on weekdays or avoid the headline weekends of major festivals.
Lock in your itinerary early so the quote doesn't need padding for unknowns.
Share the bus between a morning and afternoon group on the same day.
Split the fare across riders. A $2,000 day on a 56-seat coach works out to under $36 each.

For the full breakdown, read how charter bus pricing works, the cost to rent a charter bus for a day and whether a charter bus is cheaper than flying.

How to book your Louisiana charter bus

Booking takes a few messages, not a few weeks. Here is exactly what happens between your first request and the moment your group climbs aboard.

Send your trip details
Use the online quote form or call. Dates, stops and a rough headcount are enough to start.
Review your options
We send a quote with the right vehicle size, what's included and any tolls or parking fees listed line by line.
Confirm and reserve
Approve the itinerary and pay the deposit. Your reservation and terms arrive in writing.
Final check before the trip
A few days out, we reconfirm times and stops and share your driver's name and contact number.
Ride
The coach arrives early, the driver handles the route, and our support team is on call for the whole trip.

How far ahead to book in Louisiana

2 to 4 weeksWeekday trips and ordinary weekends

6 to 8 weeksSchool field trips in spring and fall

3 to 6 monthsWeddings, conventions and game days

4 to 8 monthsMardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Essence and the Bayou Classic

Short on time? Call anyway, since last-minute availability does open up. On the day itself, have everyone arrive a little early, and review our terms and conditions and charter bus etiquette with your group leader.

Safety standards you can check for yourself

Every interstate charter operator in the United States must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and carry a USDOT number. You don't have to take anyone's word for it: search the operator on the FMCSA SAFER system to see its authority, insurance status and inspection history.

BUSXOXO books with operators that meet those federal requirements, and we share the operating company's details with you before your trip. Read more on our safety and trust page, or dig into how safe charter buses are and the safety features on modern coaches.

Choosing between companies? Our checklist of tips for choosing the right charter bus company shows what to ask any provider, including us.

Commercial licensed driversDrivers hold a commercial driver's license with a passenger endorsement and take part in federally required drug and alcohol testing.
Federal hours-of-service rulesDrivers follow the FMCSA hours-of-service limits for passenger carriers, which is why long trips may need a second driver.
Commercial insuranceOperators carry the liability coverage federal rules require for passenger vehicles of their size.
Inspected vehiclesCoaches undergo regular maintenance and a pre-trip inspection before every departure.
A plan for the unexpectedIf a vehicle has a problem on the road, our 24/7 team works on a replacement right away and keeps your group leader updated.

Sample Louisiana charter itineraries

Real plans are built around your group, but these three show how a day actually fits together once drive times, meal stops and venue rules are accounted for.

Convention day in New Orleans

150 attendees, three 56-passenger coaches

7:15 amFirst loop from Canal Street and Poydras hotels to the convention center
Until 9 amContinuous loops every 15 minutes
5:30 pmReturn loops to hotels
7:00 pmOffsite dinner transfer to a Warehouse District venue
10:30 pmTwo return runs, early and late

Why it works: staggered loops prevent a crowd at the curb, and the late run means nobody has to leave dinner early. More on corporate transportation.

River Road plantation day

48 guests, one full-size coach from New Orleans

8:30 amHotel pickup in the Central Business District
9:45 amGuided tour at Whitney Plantation
NoonLunch on the River Road
1:30 pmOak Alley house tour and grounds
4:30 pmBack at the hotel, restroom break en route

Why it works: two sites and a sit-down lunch keep the day under eight hours, well inside a single driver's limits. Background reading: historic homes in Louisiana.

Acadiana food and music weekend

30 friends, one midsize minibus from Baton Rouge

Sat 8 amDepart Baton Rouge over the Atchafalaya Basin
Sat 9:30 amZydeco breakfast in Breaux Bridge
Sat 1 pmSwamp tour near Henderson
Sat 7 pmDinner and dance hall in Lafayette
Sun 10 amAvery Island, then home by late afternoon

Why it works: the driver overnights in Lafayette, so the group enjoys the evening without anyone behind the wheel. Browse more Louisiana ideas.

Keep planning your Louisiana group trip

Our team writes destination guides and practical how-tos for group organizers. These are the ones Louisiana planners read most.

Louisiana destination guides

Group travel how-tos

Nearby states we serve

Louisiana charter bus rental FAQs

Short answers to the questions Louisiana group leaders ask us most. If yours isn't here, call +1 (308) 304-6668 and a coordinator will answer it.

How much does it cost to rent a charter bus in Louisiana?

A full-size charter bus in Louisiana typically runs about $180 to $350 per hour or $1,500 to $2,800 per day, while minibuses and Sprinter vans cost less. Your price depends on the date, hours, route, tolls and whether the driver needs an overnight room. Peak dates such as Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and LSU home games cost more. Request a free quote for an exact number.

How far ahead should I book a charter bus for Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest?

Book four to six months ahead for Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, and even earlier if you need several coaches. Buses in New Orleans are often fully reserved on the biggest parade weekends and festival days.

Can a charter bus drive into the French Quarter?

Large buses are restricted on many French Quarter streets, so motorcoach groups usually board and drop off at designated loading points on the edge of the Quarter. We choose a nearby pickup point and send you a map pin to share with your group. For smaller groups, a Sprinter van can often get closer.

Do you provide group airport shuttles from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport?

Yes. We run group transfers from MSY to hotels, cruise terminals and venues across the state, and from Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Shreveport airports too. Pickups use the airport's commercial ground transportation area, and we time them to your flight arrivals. See our airport charter bus page.

Can you take our group to the New Orleans cruise terminal?

Yes. We handle transfers to the Port of New Orleans cruise terminals from the airport or any hotel, and return pickups on disembarkation day. Full-size coaches have underfloor bays for luggage. Read more about cruise port transfers.

Which Louisiana cities do you serve?

We book charter buses throughout Louisiana, including New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Bossier City, Monroe, Alexandria, Natchitoches, Houma, Thibodaux, Hammond, Mandeville, Covington and Slidell, plus trips to neighboring states.

Do Louisiana charter buses have restrooms?

Most full-size motorcoaches have an onboard restroom, while minibuses, shuttle buses and vans usually do not. We confirm amenities in your quote. A restroom is worth requesting for long crossings such as the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. Learn more in do charter buses have bathrooms.

Can we book a one-way charter bus from Louisiana to Texas or Mississippi?

Yes. One-way and multi-day trips to Houston, Dallas, Biloxi, Jackson and beyond are common. One-way pricing can include the cost of the bus returning empty, so round trips sometimes work out cheaper per day. Compare options in round-trip vs one-way charter bus rental.

What happens if a hurricane threatens our travel dates?

If a named storm threatens your trip, we contact you early to discuss rescheduling or other options, and safety always comes first. Cancellation terms for weather are set out in our return and refund policy. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

Is alcohol allowed on a charter bus in Louisiana?

It depends on the operator and the type of trip. Some allow adults to bring alcohol on private charters, while school trips and many standard coaches do not allow it at all. Minors can never drink onboard. Tell us your plans and we will confirm the rules in writing before you book.

How much should we tip our charter bus driver?

A tip of 10 to 20 percent of the trip cost is typical, or a set amount per day on multi-day tours. Some groups include gratuity in the quote so nobody has to collect cash. Our guide on tipping a charter bus driver has more detail.

More general questions are answered on our charter bus FAQ page.

Tell us where your group is headed in Louisiana

Send your dates, stops and headcount. A BUSXOXO coordinator will recommend the right vehicle and send an itemized quote, whether you need one Sprinter van for a Saturday or ten motorcoaches for convention week.