Party Bus Prices in New Orleans, Louisiana: How To Calculate Your Rental Costs
New Orleans moves at its own pace — and so should your group. Whether you're hauling a 40-person Saints tailgate crew to Caesars Superdome, shuttling wedding guests between the French Quarter and a Garden District reception, or kicking off a bachelorette weekend on Bourbon Street, the right bus makes everything easier. Party Bus Rental New Orleans offers instant, all-inclusive pricing in under 30 seconds — you'll know the exact cost before you ever commit.
Call 504-264-9423 any time to get a quote tailored to your headcount, itinerary, and date, or use our online tool right now.
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How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Bus in New Orleans?
New Orleans party bus and charter bus rental prices range from $150 to $490 per hour depending on vehicle size, and full-day charter rates run $1,200 to $2,500. Here's a quick-reference breakdown:
- 14-passenger Sprinter limo: $170–$344/hour
- 15–20 passenger party bus: $204–$378/hour
- 20–30 passenger party bus: $244–$414/hour
- 35–50 passenger party bus / minibus: $294–$490/hour
- 40–56 passenger charter bus: $158–$348/hour or $1,331–$2,841/day
Every quote is all-inclusive — no surprise costs once you book. Call 504-264-9423 for an exact number on your date.
| Type of Bus | Cost Per Hour Weekdays | Cost Per Hour Weekends | Cost Per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Passenger Sprinter Limo | $170 – $318+ | $219 – $344+ | $1,526 – $3,113+ |
| Sprinter Van Rental | $187 – $273+ | $218 – $366+ | $1,395 – $2,748+ |
| 15 Passenger Party Bus | $204 – $330+ | $241 – $312+ | $1,396 – $2,817+ |
| 18 Passenger Party Bus | $266 – $330+ | $268 – $378+ | $2,121 – $2,563+ |
| 20 Passenger Party Bus | $244 – $338+ | $268 – $340+ | $1,939 – $2,796+ |
| 25 Passenger Party Bus | $248 – $326+ | $265 – $360+ | $1,827 – $2,854+ |
| 28 Passenger Party Bus | $255 – $337+ | $279 – $351+ | $2,147 – $2,653+ |
| 30 Passenger Party Bus | $297 – $374+ | $318 – $414+ | $2,331 – $3,021+ |
| 40 Passenger Party Bus | $297 – $338+ | $321 – $478+ | $2,297 – $3,473+ |
| 50 Passenger Party Bus | $294 – $441+ | $337 – $490+ | $2,173 – $4,043+ |
| 15–35 Passenger Minibus | $113 – $246+ | $147 – $261+ | $1,098 – $2,105+ |
| 40–56 Passenger Charter Bus | $158 – $327+ | $162 – $348+ | $1,331 – $2,841+ |
| Rates vary by trip length, travel dates, passenger count, amenities, and availability. Use our online quote form or call 504-264-9423 for exact pricing. | |||
Factors Affecting Party Bus Rental Costs in New Orleans
Four things shape the final price for any New Orleans bus rental: vehicle size, trip duration, the date you're traveling, and how far the route runs. Mardi Gras weekend in February and Jazz Fest in late April to early May both spike demand sharply — vehicles booked for those weekends months in advance are simply gone for late-booking groups. Essence Festival in early July and big Saints home openers in September do the same.
The earlier you lock in your date, the more vehicle options you have and the less you pay. Every one of those factors is spelled out in detail in the sections below.
How Vehicle Type and Group Size Shape New Orleans Party Bus Rates
A 14-passenger Sprinter limo is the right fit for a bridal party pickup at the Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St) or a corporate VIP run from Louis Armstrong Airport — compact enough to navigate the narrow blocks of the French Quarter and the one-way streets in the Central Business District. Scale up to a 25- to 30-passenger party bus for a bachelorette crawl from Frenchmen Street through Bourbon Street, or a 56-passenger charter bus for a full convention shuttle between the Hyatt Regency and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The key rule: never pay for seats your group won't fill.
Tell us your headcount and we'll match you with the right vehicle.
How Trip Duration and Hourly Rates Build Your New Orleans Quote
Bus rentals in New Orleans are priced by the hour, and the total hours the vehicle is reserved — including any wait time during your event — is what drives your final number. A Mardi Gras parade-day run from the Garden District to the Uptown parade route and back might run four hours; a full Saints game-day package from a Mid-City hotel, through a tailgate at Lot A on Girod Street, and back to the Warehouse District after the final whistle runs six to eight hours. Longer blocks of time on the same booking are generally more efficient per hour than multiple short reservations.
Build in realistic return windows — post-game traffic on Poydras Street clears slowly — and your total will be accurate from the start.
How Date, Season, and Day of the Week Shift New Orleans Rates
No city in the country has a more concentrated demand calendar than New Orleans. Mardi Gras (February, date shifts yearly) and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (late April through early May) are the two periods where party bus and charter bus availability tightens the fastest — groups that wait until three weeks out routinely face nothing available or rates 30 to 40 percent above normal. The French Quarter Festival (April), Essence Festival (early July), and Saints home openers (September) produce secondary spikes.
Saturday night rates are consistently 20 to 25 percent higher than weekday equivalents year-round. For Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest: book by November or expect premium pricing and limited vehicle options.
How Distance and Route Complexity Affect New Orleans Quotes
A short loop from the French Quarter to the Warehouse District and back is a very different pricing situation than a run from downtown New Orleans out to the Northshore, up I-10 to Baton Rouge for an LSU game, or down to the Gulf Coast. Mileage beyond a set radius, bridge tolls on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, and multi-city routes all factor into your quote. Closer trips — shuttling wedding guests between the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans (921 Canal St) and a reception in Tremé, or moving a corporate group between CBD hotels and the convention center — tend to keep costs predictable.
Longer runs across the Causeway or into the Mississippi Gulf Coast add travel time and mileage that your quote will reflect accurately upfront.
Examples of Party Bus Quotes
Sample Quote: Audubon Tea Room Wedding Shuttle in New Orleans
The trip: Last October, we coordinated wedding guest shuttle service for a 72-person guest list split across two hotels — the Roosevelt New Orleans (130 Roosevelt Way) and the Ace Hotel New Orleans (600 Carondelet St) — with guests heading to a ceremony and reception at Audubon Tea Room (6500 Magazine St) in Uptown. Two 40-passenger minibuses ran staggered pickup loops starting at 4:15 PM, collecting guests from the CBD, crossing over St. Charles Avenue, and arriving at the Audubon grounds by 5:00 PM ahead of a 5:30 PM ceremony start. Post-reception return runs began at 10:00 PM, with the final drop back at both hotels by 11:15 PM.
The 7-hour all-inclusive contract totaled $4,200 (~$58/guest).
Pro Tip: Magazine Street between Napoleon Avenue and the park narrows significantly on weekend evenings and parking disappears fast — a minibus handling your guest loop avoids the chaos entirely. Review the Audubon Tea Room's events page to confirm your load-in window before the day of.
Sample Quote: Bachelorette Party Bus Night on Frenchmen Street and Bourbon Street
The trip: This past March, a 22-person bachelorette group booked a 25-passenger party bus for a full French Quarter and Marigny crawl. Pickup was at 7:30 PM from the Hotel Peter and Paul (2317 Burgundy St) in the Marigny. The group hit d.b.a.
(618 Frenchmen St) for live brass music, walked the Frenchmen Art Market, then the bus moved to drop the crew on Bourbon Street near the intersection with St. Peter for the second half of the night. Pickup at 1:30 AM from the Royal Street side of the Quarter got everyone back to the hotel by 2:00 AM. The built-in LED bar lighting and Bluetooth sound kept energy up on every run.
The 6-hour all-inclusive rental came to $1,860 (~$85/person).
Pro Tip: Bourbon Street closes to vehicle traffic between 8 PM and 3 AM on weekend nights — plan all drop-offs on adjacent parallel streets like Royal or Dauphine. The City of New Orleans transportation page posts current street closure schedules for events and parade nights.
Sample Quote: Saints Tailgate Charter Bus to Caesars Superdome
The trip: For a Sunday afternoon Saints home game last November, a 48-person fan group booked a 50-passenger party bus. Pickup was at 10:00 AM from a Mid-City neighborhood block, with the group stopping at a pre-arranged tailgate in Lot A off Girod Street near the Superdome by 10:45 AM — five hours before the 3:25 PM kickoff. Undercarriage storage handled two large coolers, a portable speaker, and folding chairs.
The group walked into the stadium at 2:45 PM and the bus waited nearby on Loyola Avenue. Post-game pickup at 6:30 PM got everyone back to Mid-City by 7:15 PM. The 9-hour all-inclusive rental came to $3,150 (~$66/person).
Pro Tip: Lot A on Girod Street is the closest surface lot to the main Superdome gates and fills by noon on big game days — your bus parks once and the group walks straight in. Check the official Caesars Superdome parking page for current lot assignments and any road closures on game day.
Sample Quote: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Corporate Shuttle, New Orleans
The trip: Last January during the Sugar Bowl week, we ran a three-day corporate shuttle contract for a 110-person pharmaceutical conference moving between the Hilton New Orleans Riverside (2 Poydras St), the Hyatt Regency New Orleans (601 Loyola Ave), and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd). Two 56-passenger charter buses ran staggered morning loops starting at 7:30 AM, using the Convention Center's dedicated commercial drop-off zone on Convention Center Boulevard, and returned guests to hotels at the end of each conference day at 6:00 PM. WiFi on both buses kept attendees productive during the short runs.
A third evening shuttle moved VIP dinner guests to Commanders Palace (1403 Washington Ave) in the Garden District each night at 7:00 PM. The three-day, two-bus all-inclusive contract totaled $14,400 (~$131/person).
Pro Tip: Convention Center Boulevard backs up severely during major conventions and Sugar Bowl weekend — staggered departure windows of 10 to 15 minutes between buses keep the loading zone clear and your attendees on schedule. Confirm current commercial vehicle access with the Morial Convention Center's official transportation page before your event date.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Orleans Bus Rental Prices
Do New Orleans party bus prices change for Mardi Gras?
Yes — significantly. Mardi Gras is the single highest-demand period for bus rentals in New Orleans. Vehicle availability tightens fast from December onward, and rates during parade-day weekends run 30 to 40 percent above the standard hourly range.
Groups that book in October or November lock in standard pricing; groups that call in January typically find limited options at elevated rates.
Is there a minimum number of hours for a party bus rental in New Orleans?
Most New Orleans bus rentals are built around the hours your itinerary actually requires, not an arbitrary floor. A 4-hour Frenchmen Street crawl and a 9-hour Saints game-day package price differently because the reserved time is different. When you call 504-264-9423, give us your pickup time and latest expected drop-off and we'll quote the right block of hours.
Does it cost more to rent a bus on a Saturday night in New Orleans?
Weekend rates — Friday and Saturday nights — run roughly 20 to 25 percent higher than weekday equivalents across all vehicle sizes. New Orleans' event calendar amplifies this: a Saturday during Jazz Fest or Essence Festival week prices at a different tier than a random Saturday in January. The quote tool shows you the exact rate for your specific date before you book.
Can I get a bus that holds 50 people for a flat day rate instead of hourly?
Full-size 40-to-56 passenger charter buses are available at a flat day rate of $1,200 to $2,500 depending on the season and itinerary. Day rates make the most sense for long out-of-town runs — a full-day trip to Baton Rouge for an LSU game, or a multi-stop tour across the Northshore — where the bus is moving or on-call for 8 to 10 hours. Call 504-264-9423 and we'll set up the right option for your route.
Do charter buses cost more to park at Caesars Superdome than regular cars?
Oversized vehicle parking at the Superdome complex is priced separately from standard car lots and must be arranged in advance — there is no day-of bus parking sold at the gate on major event days. Lot assignments and current oversized vehicle rates are listed on the official Caesars Superdome parking page. We confirm your group's bus parking for your specific event date as part of the booking process.
How do I get an exact price quote for a New Orleans bus rental?
The fastest way is our online quote tool — enter your group size, date, and pickup location and you'll see an all-inclusive price in under 30 seconds with no obligation to book. If you'd rather talk through your itinerary, our reservation team is available 24/7 at 504-264-9423. Either way, the price you see is the price you pay — no costs added at checkout.