1-800-436-8719

Why Rent a Charter Bus in Tampa?

There are plenty of ways to get around in Tampa, but not all of them are conducive to group travel. Take a look at a few options below:

  • TECO Line Streetcar: This streetcar connects historic Ybor City to Channelside Bay Plaza and Downtown Tampa. Along the way, you’ll find various dining, shopping, and entertainment options, plus the convention center. The streetcar is efficient, but the route is quite limited, so if your itinerary includes stops in the greater Tampa Bay area, you might want to look for other options.
  • HART: The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority operates buses and vans in Tampa and throughout its home county of Hillsborough. These public buses provide a much wider coverage area than the Streetcar, with stops at Busch Gardens, University of South Florida, Westfield Brandon Mall, and Tampa International Airport.
    Small groups can use HART buses to travel around the city, but if your itinerary includes lesser-known destinations, you might have a more difficult time getting around. If your group is large or includes small kids, keeping everyone together on multiple public buses will definitely become a challenge.
  • Amtrak: Trains 91 and 92 of Amtrak’s New York-Miami Silver Star will bring you right into Tampa Union Station. If your starting destination is near an Amtrak station, this is a great way to get into the city.
    Amtrak Thruway motorcoach services also provide bus services from Tampa Union Station to a few local stops.
    If your Tampa destination isn’t near Union Station or any of Amtrak’s Thruway stops, a charter bus from Shofur can pick up your group and drop you off right at your destination!
  • Taxis, Uber, and Lyft: You can find rides via Yellow Cab, Uber, and Lyft throughout Tampa (including at Tampa International Airport) at a moment’s notice. But if you’re traveling with a group that exceeds a van’s capacity, you’ll need to find multiple cars to accommodate everyone.
  • Charter Buses from Shofur: Shofur books charter buses and minibuses of all sizes to help groups get around Tampa. Whether you’re on a strict schedule or your group is too big to fit into your family’s van, renting a charter bus from Shofur will give you the most flexibility while you’re planning your trip.
    a charter bus from Shofur waits to depart at a street corner
    Plus, you’ll get to enjoy amenities that will keep your group comfortable throughout your journey. Air conditioning helps to beat the Florida heat, WiFi helps to defeat boredom, and on-board restrooms (available on full-sized charter bus models) help to cut down on pit stops along the way. If your group has any specific amenity requests, just let your reservation specialist know!

Comparing Tampa Group Transportation

Shofur

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Personal, professional driver

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On-board climate controls

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Nationwide access

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Tailored to your schedule

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One vehicle for your entire group

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1-800-436-8719 Call Us Today to Rent a Charter Bus - Available 24/7

Corporate Event Transportation in Tampa

As a major business hub, Tampa sees plenty of corporate travelers throughout the year. Whether your group is in town for a multi-day convention or you’re a local business looking for a change of scenery, we’ve got you covered!

coworkers discuss ideas with laptops open at a table

Shuttle event attendees between hotels and conferences with a minibus that runs on your schedule.

Or, set up a daily shuttle service between your office and a local apartment complex to help ensure your employees can get to work on time every day.

On your bus, passengers can use WiFi and power outlets to check emails and get ahead on work, all while a professional driver takes the wheel. And, unlike public transportation services or hotel shuttles, your bus will run on your schedule and service your group exclusively.

These Tampa spaces are perfect for large business and conference events:

Tampa Convention Center

Address: 333 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 274-8511

Event space: accommodates up to 17,000 guests

Tampa Museum of Art

Address: 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 274-8130

Event space: accommodates up to 400 guests

Wedding Shuttles in Tampa

Trust Shofur for all of your wedding-day transportation needs in Tampa. Once you’ve got the catering, the decorations, the venue, and all of the other nitty-gritty details squared away, we’ll be here to make sure that you and all of your guests travel smoothly throughout Tampa on the big day!

Here are a few perks you can expect with a minibus shuttle from us:

  • An air-conditioned ride for you and your guests (we don’t need to remind you that the Florida heat can be unbearable, especially in the summer!)
  • A guaranteed DD for post-reception travel back to the hotel.
  • A ride that runs on your time, not someone else’s.
  • Peace of mind that guests won’t end up lost or late when it’s time for the party to start.

When you’re ready to book your wedding shuttle, call our team to discuss options that suit your wedding day schedule!

Cheer On Your Favorite Tampa Sports Teams

visitors approach the entrance of amalie arena in preparation for a tampa bay lightning game

Image Credit: Michael Curi, Wikimedia Commons

Support your favorite professional and amateur Tampa sports teams with the help of group bus transportation! Organize all of your tailgating supplies for your Buccaneers pre-game bash and store them right on your bus, or head to a behind-the-scenes tour of Amalie Arena before a Lightning game. If you’re planning an alumni trip to see the University of Tampa Spartans, you’ll have plenty of space to comfortably accommodate your entire group.

You’ll be able to travel in an organized fashion with your fellow fans, and you’ll have a guaranteed DD back home if things get a little rowdy at the game.

Need to rent a bus for your team’s away games this season? We’ve got you covered there, too! One-time trips and season-long contracts are available for teams of all leagues, sizes, and skill levels. Plus, we’ll make sure your bus has plenty of storage space for all equipment and luggage so you can travel clutter-free.

Shofur can take you to any sports venue in Tampa, including:

Raymond James Stadium

Home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)

Address: 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33607

Phone: (813) 350-6500

Amalie Arena

Home of the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)

Address: 401 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 301-6500

George M. Steinbrenner Field

Home of the Tampa Tarpons (MiLB)

Address: 1 Steinbrenner Dr, Tampa, FL 33614

Phone: (813) 875-7753

1-800-436-8719 Call Us Today to Charter a Coachbus, Minibus, or Shuttle

Field Trips in the Tampa Bay Area

On your next Tampa field trip, ditch the yellow school bus for a modern, comfortable coach bus rental. Students can stay entertained with onboard WiFi and televisions with DVD players while teachers and chaperones relax with reclining seats. And we’ll make sure you’re matched with a professional driver who will keep your students safe throughout your trip.

Here are a few of our favorite field trip stops in Tampa, perfect for students of all ages and interests:

Glazer Children’s Museum

Address: 110 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 443-3861

Highlights: 170 exhibits over themed areas such as “Water’s Journey,” a mini Publix supermarket, and a firehouse

a young girl wearing protective glasses performs a science experiment with a chemical reaction

Tampa Bay History Center

Address: 801 Water St, Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 228-0097

Highlights: Exhibits featuring Tampa Bay’s first native inhabitants and the area’s journey to what we know today

Tampa Theatre

Address: 711 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 274-8981

Highlights: Special field trip educational programs aimed to spark interest in the history of movie palaces

Tour Tampa Colleges and Universities

On your next round of college tours, let your group of students and parents relax and explore while a professional does the driving. We’ll pair you with a private bus rental that will take you to every campus on your list. Make a day of it by adding in stops at local restaurants between campus tours to keep everyone fueled up and to help your students explore local hotspots!

Shofur can help you visit any of Tampa’s local universities, including:

The University of Tampa

Address: 374 UT University Dr, Tampa, FL 33606

University of South Florida Tampa

Address: 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USA

Florida College

Address: 119 N Glen Arven Ave, Temple Terrace, FL 33617

Book an Unforgettable Vacation to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Drawing in over 4 million visitors per year, it’s no secret that Busch Gardens is one of Tampa’s best-known and most popular attractions. Home to thrilling roller coasters, 200 species of animals, and live shows, it’s jam-packed with things to do for visitors of all ages, making it perfect for big groups! Plunge toward the ground at a 90-degree angle on Sheikra, one of the park’s famous coasters, or take it easy on the Serengeti Express, a safari-like train ride that gives passengers an up-close view of some of the park’s animals.

busch gardens visitors smile and scream as they roar around a turn on a roller coaster

Image Credit: Sudepop, Wikimedia Commons

Busch Gardens also has several event spaces to spruce up your next company picnic, meeting, or private party. If you’re feeling really saucy, and you’re planning for over 100 guests, you can even rent out the entire park!

As a bonus, tour buses and school buses park for free, and there’s a designated drop-off/pick-up area near the park entrance. So, if you need a charter bus or minibus to get your group to the park, you won’t have to worry about any additional expenses—just load your group onto your bus and enjoy the ride!

1-800-436-8719 Call Us Today to Charter a Coachbus, Minibus, or Shuttle

Explore Ybor City

a historic building in tampa's ybor city

Exterior of Bernini Restaurant, on the corner of 7th Avenue in Ybor City.

Image Credit: Richard McNeil, Wikimedia Commons

Ybor City (pronounced “EE-bor”), known for its boutiques, vintage shops, and Cuban and Latin American eateries, is a must-see for all Tampa newcomers. The history buffs of your group can check out the Ybor City Museum to dive into the area’s past; art lovers can take a tour of the Hoffman Porges Gallery; night owls can enjoy live music at night clubs like The Orpheum; and foodies can stop in at multiple local restaurants for a delicious Cuban sandwich!

Charter buses can pick up and drop off passengers at 9th Avenue & 16th Street, and free charter bus parking is available at 12th Avenue between 15th and 17th Streets.

Experience the Gasparilla Pirate Festival

For over 100 years, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival has drawn visitors to Tampa from across the country. On the last Saturday of every January, this event kicks off with a grand parade and continues with various community events, all to celebrate the mythical pirate José Gaspar (a.k.a. Gasparilla) who may or may not have actually existed.

someone in a pirate costume paints a child's face with pirate makeup

If you think you’re ready to experience this jam-packed weekend, don your pirate gear and load your group into your bus for a weekend you surely won’t forget. We’ll bring you into Tampa and shuttle you between your hotel and the daily festivities to ensure safe travels throughout the weekend!

Charter a Bus from Tampa to Miami

If Tampa’s beaches are too “been there, done that” for you lately, why not try some beaches on Florida’s Atlantic coast? The 4 ½-hour bus ride from Tampa to Miami is well worth the long drive for The Magic City’s famed beaches, such as Lummus Park Beach and South Beach.

friends jump and run into the ocean water at a miami beach

Pit stops along the way can include:

  • Sarasota, home to even more beaches and cultural institutes such as the Ringling Museum of Art
  • Everglades National Park, where visitors can spend the day on a boat or take guided tours of the wetlands
  • Fort Lauderdale, just north of Miami and home to upscale restaurants and bars

If you plan to be on the road for a while, no one will have to dread a long, uncomfortable road trip. On your bus, you’ll have reclining seats and air conditioning to keep everyone comfortable, entertainment options to pass the time, and plenty of storage space to keep the bus free of clutter. Sit back and let a professional driver make sure your group arrives safely in Miami!

Bus Trips from Tampa to Orlando

Orlando truly has something for everybody. World-class theme parks immediately come to mind, but there’s also a chance you’re coming into town for the Orlando Museum of Art, the World of Chocolate Museum, or Lake Eola Park. Either way, we’ll get you there.

Just an hour and a half’s drive from Tampa, Orlando is an easy day trip. Load up your bus with your students, summer camp kids, family, friends, or coworkers, and head into Orlando. Whether you’re browsing the lesser-known attractions or making memories at Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando, we’ll make sure you’re guaranteed a safe ride to and from your Orlando destination of choice.

1-800-436-8719 Call Our 24/7 Team to Rent a Charter Bus Today

Our Favorite Group-Friendly Destinations in Tampa

Busch Gardens is a given when it comes to “things to do with groups in Tampa,” but since we’ve already talked about that above, here are five more of our favorite group-friendly spots in the city:

The Florida Aquarium

Great for: school field trips and marine-life enthusiasts

Educate students about Florida’s natural environment and learn about the aquarium’s conservation efforts, all while marveling at a series of exhibits featuring stingrays, bonnethead sharks, sea turtles, and much more. The aquarium’s exhibit layout shows one drop of water’s journey through Florida’s freshwater springs and out to the Gulf of Mexico, making for a unique experience that you’re not likely to find at another aquarium. Special group experiences are available if you book ahead of time.

Bus tip: Parking is $6, so be sure to bring along a little bit of cash with you. Look north of the aquarium off the east side of Channelside Drive at York Street to find the aquarium’s parking lot.

Best bus parking address: 864 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL 33602

ZooTampa at Lowry Park

Great for: school field trips, families, and animal-lovers

a young girl carefully studies two goats behind a fence at the zoo

Known for being particularly family-friendly, ZooTampa at Lowry Park is the perfect place to spend an afternoon with a casual group of family and friends or with a group of students. Visitors can find mandarin ducks, alligator snapping turtles, cockatoo parrots, reticulated giraffes, African bush elephants, and over 1,300 other animals throughout the zoo’s grounds.

If your group includes children with autism spectrum disorders, the zoo offers an autism-friendly version of their map, sensory-friendly tips, and social stories about various zoo exhibits.

Bus tip: Keeping kids entertained on a trip can be difficult. To help them stay in check, use your bus’s TV monitors and DVD players to show an educational video while you travel. You can also let kids play on  their personal devices with the bus’s WiFi and power outlets.

Best bus parking address: 1101 W. Sligh Avenue, Tampa, FL 33604

Museum of Science and Industry

Great for: school field trips and curious minds

Tampa gets hot, so it’s definitely important to consider all of its indoor activities as well. MOSI’s indoor exhibits provide hands-on learning experiences to kids from preschool all the way to 12th grade. Visitors can explore a NASA-funded Moonbase lunar colony, build a robot, and even lie on a bed of nails! The museum is open to field trip groups year-round and also hosts camps during summer and winter breaks.

Bus tip: If you’ve got some time left before the school day is over, have your bus take your group to the nearby University Mall, where kids can choose from multiple food court options for their lunch. The mall is just a 7-minute drive west on Fowler Avenue.

Best bus parking address: 4801 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33617

Tampa Riverwalk

Great for: senior citizen trips, family reunions, weddings, and lazy afternoons

a beautiful view of a riverfront sidewalk illuminated at night on tampa's riverwalk

This 2.6-mile stretch has it all. It’s primarily a pedestrian walkway, but it provides easy access to restaurants, shops, bars, playgrounds, live event spaces, and Tampa’s Arts District (where you’ll find the Tampa Museum of Art, FL Museum of Photographic Arts, and many more cultural institutions). Plus, it’s all framed by the Hillsborough River, which provides picturesque views all along the Riverwalk.

Bus tip: The Tampa Riverwalk has multiple access points. If your group likes to walk, have your bus drop you off at one of the Riverwalk’s many restaurants and walk off your meal along the paved paths. Or, if your group has mobility concerns, your bus can pick you up and drop you off at multiple destinations throughout the day.

Best bus parking address: It depends on where you’re going! The Tampa Riverwalk encourages visitors to use the City of Tampa parking map to scout parking locations near their desired Riverwalk destination.

Adventure Island

Great for: school groups, summer camps, family reunions

Just across the street from Busch Gardens lies Adventure Island, a 30-acre water park that features thrilling water slides like Solar Vortex and Colossal Curl. But if you’re more in the mood to lay back and float, the park also has lazy rivers, wave pools, and kid-friendly areas so that everyone can enjoy their day.

Bus tip: Cutting costs on your trip just got a little easier. After you’ve split up the cost of your bus rental among your group (which is often cheaper than taking separate cars and paying for gas), your charter bus will get to park for free at Adventure Island!

Best bus parking address: 10001 McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612

Rent a Charter Bus in Tampa Today

Ready to hit the road? When it comes to group transportation, make Shofur your preferred bus company for comfortable, easy, and enjoyable trips in the Tampa Bay area. Our reservation agents are available 24 hours a day to help you rent a bus that’s perfect for your group! Call 1-800-436-8719 to receive your free, no-obligation quote today.

1-800-436-8719 Call Us Today to Rent a Charter Bus - Available 24/7

Prices for Charter Buses and Minibuses in Tampa

Vehicles Passengers Luggage Hourly Min Hrs
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CHARTER BUS

57 55
$110 - $170
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MINI BUS

25 7
$105 - $160
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Prices displayed here are estimates and may not reflect the price of your bus rental. The only way to get an accurate quote is to call our 24-hour team at 1-800-436-8719.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answer is: it depends. When you call one of our 24/7 reservation specialists with your trip details, they will build a quote for you based on a few factors, including how far you'll be traveling, which bus you rent, how many hours or days you will need the rental, and where and when you will be picked up. Depending on your trip itinerary, your rental cost will be broken down by hour, day, or mile.

You can learn more on our charter bus pricing page, and your reservation specialist will be happy to break down pricing further when you call.

Our network offers full-size charter buses, minibus rentals, and sprinter vans. Full-size charter bus rentals are great for larger groups or longer distance trips and can accommodate up to 56 passengers, while minibus rentals work well for medium-sized groups of 12 to 25 passengers. Groups even smaller than that can rent a sprinter van, which comfortably accommodates up to 12 people.

Visit our buses page to learn more about the charter bus options available in Shofur's network.

Every bus model in our network comes with their own special amenities and capabilities, including but not limited to:

  • WiFi and/or power outlets
  • A/C and heating
  • TV monitors and a DVD player
  • Onboard restrooms
  • AM/FM radio
  • Overhead storage bins
  • Luggage bays
  • ADA accessible features

If you have a specific amenity request, be sure to let your reservation specialist know and they will be happy to work with you to find the best bus for your group.

When you call to get a free, no-obligation quote, you will get a number that is transparent and all-inclusive. Below is a list of components your quote covers:

  • The bus itself
  • A professional charter bus driver
  • The bus's mileage and fuel
  • Insurance
  • Tolls
  • Processing fees

Remember that your quote will not include certain aspects that are out of Shofur's control or at your own discretion, such as:

  • Gratuity for your driver (at your discretion, typically 5-10% of the total cost of the rental)
  • Parking fees
  • Lodging for your driver (required for multi-day trips)

No. Your professional, trained, and highly experienced charter bus driver will take care of all the driving so you can sit back and relax during your journey. Each charter bus driver has undergone numerous background checks and driving tests to ensure their safety and expertise.

Yes. A fee of 10% of the total cost of the trip is due at the time of your booking.

Your rental will need to be paid in full 7 days before your trip date.

Most charter bus providers will allow you to drink on your bus. However, be sure to let your reservation specialist know so that they can determine for sure. Also, be mindful about not leaving a mess behind, or you may be subject to a cleaning fee that is usually $250.