We recommend tipping a charter or tour bus driver $2 to $5 per person for the day.
Do you tip a charter or tour bus driver?
Yes, on a charter or a tour bus. We recommend $2 to $5 from each passenger for each day the driver works. Pool the money and hand one amount to the driver, often through the person who organized the group.
A scheduled intercity bus and a city bus are a different case. We do not recommend this per-person tip on a ticketed coach or a city farebox.
A walking tour is a different job, on how much to tip a tour guide. The dollar tool for that job is the tour guide tip calculator. A rideshare is on How much to tip an Uber driver.
How much to tip a charter or tour bus driver
Pick one amount in the $2 to $5 range and use it for each person in your party, for that day.
- $2 per person for a plain day on the bus
- $3 or $4 per person when the driver keeps a long schedule or handles a full day of stops
- $5 per person when the driver loads bags or the day was difficult
These totals are the arithmetic of that recommendation.
| People in the group | At $2 each | At $3 each | At $5 each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | $8 | $12 | $20 |
| 10 | $20 | $30 | $50 |
| 20 | $40 | $60 | $100 |
| 40 | $80 | $120 | $200 |
A group of 10 at $3 each hands the driver $30. A couple at $5 each hands over $10.
A multi-day charter
Use the same $2 to $5 per person for each day the driver works. A three-day trip at $4 per person per day is $12 per person for the driver, handed at the end or split by day if the group prefers. Do not switch to a percentage of the bus contract. The contract price is between you and the company. Our tip is the per-person amount.
If the invoice already has a line named gratuity or tip, do not add this $2 to $5 on top until you know that line is something else. Ask the company whether that line is paid to the driver. If it is, you have already tipped. If they say it is not a tip, add the $2 to $5.
Cash for a charter or tour bus driver
Cash in an envelope, with the driver's name if you know it, is the clean way to hand over a pooled tip. Give it to the driver, not to a hotel desk, unless the company told you in writing to do that.
When to sit at $2 or at $5
Use $5 when the driver loads bags or the day was difficult. Use $2 when the ride was simple and someone else handled the bags. Skip the tip if the driver is rude or ignores a safety problem you raised.
More tipping guides are on the travel hub.