Minibus rental in Dubai, driver included.

Minibus rental in Dubai with a driver

Minibus rental in Dubai makes sense the moment a group outgrows one car. Instead of a convoy of taxis, everyone travels together in one air-conditioned vehicle, with one driver, one timetable and the luggage in the back. We supply three sizes of minibus, each with a professional driver: the 13-seat Toyota HiAce, the 16-seat Mercedes Sprinter and the mini coach, a Toyota Coaster or similar with 22 to 30 seats. For smaller families and teams, the seven-seat Mercedes V-Class minivan fills the gap below them.

Every minibus is booked with its driver; we do not rent vehicles for self-drive. The driver brings the minibus to your pick-up ten minutes early, loads the luggage, follows the plan agreed for your group and waits between stops. Fuel is included, and your written quote lists the tolls, parking and waiting allowance for your route, so the price you confirm is the price you pay.

One minibus or several cars?

For a group of eight or more, one minibus usually beats a convoy of cars or taxis. Everyone leaves together and arrives together, there is one pick-up to manage instead of three, the luggage travels in one place, and nobody is left waiting at the other end for the last car. It also keeps the cost per head down: divided by its thirteen seats, the HiAce’s starting day rate of AED 900 works out at about AED 69 per seat for the day.

Cars still have their place. If part of the group needs to leave early, or a VIP should travel separately, add a sedan or an SUV to the same quote, and both vehicles run from the same plan.

Which minibus for your group

Choose by passengers first, then by luggage, then by the finish you want. Seats are passenger seats; the driver is not counted. Bags are medium suitcases. Starting prices are for a full day (up to 10 hours) within Dubai, with driver and fuel.

Toyota HiAce: the practical choice for up to thirteen

The HiAce is high-roofed and easy to board, with full air-conditioning, individual seat belts on every row and a rear luggage area for around ten medium suitcases. USB charging is available on some models. It is the most economical minibus in the fleet and the usual choice for airport groups, sports teams, production crews and families travelling together.

Mercedes Sprinter: the executive minibus for up to sixteen

The Sprinter has standing headroom, reclining leather seats, individual air vents and reading lights, and luggage space at the rear. It arrives looking the part outside a hotel or venue, which is why it is popular for roadshows, conference speakers and wedding parties. Ask for the VIP layout and you get fewer, wider seats with a lounge feel, for executive tours and client visits.

Mini coach: for seventeen to thirty

The mini coach carries up to thirty guests and still fits into hotel driveways, villa streets and venue gates where a full-size coach cannot. It has reclining seats, air-conditioning throughout, overhead and rear luggage space, and a PA microphone on request for a host or guide. For more than thirty, see the 50-seater coach, or combine a coach and a mini coach on one quote.

Minivan rental vs minibus: what is the difference?

A minivan is a large people carrier with seven or eight seats, such as the Mercedes V-Class. It drives like a big car, parks easily and has sliding doors on both sides. A minibus is a step up: a van-based vehicle with individual rows of seats for around twelve to sixteen people, such as the HiAce or the Sprinter. Above that comes the mini coach, a small bus with 22 to 30 seats.

For six or seven people with luggage, our minivan rental option is the V-Class, with captain’s seats in a conference layout on some models and room behind for six bags. For eight to thirteen, the HiAce is the better value; for fourteen to sixteen, or a smaller group that wants an executive finish, the Sprinter. If you are not sure, tell us the number of people and bags, and we will quote the vehicle that fits. Our van with driver page goes into more detail on the V-Class and HiAce for families and small teams.

Airport minibus hire at DXB and DWC

Airport minibus hire is one of our most common bookings. Share the flight number when you book and the driver tracks it, waits in the arrivals hall with a name board, helps with the trolleys and walks the group to the minibus in the terminal car park. An early landing or a delay simply moves the pick-up, and airport parking is listed on your quote, so there is nothing to pay at the airport.

Luggage is the thing to plan. A group of twelve with one suitcase each fits a HiAce comfortably, but twelve golfers with clubs or a band with instruments will not. For big arrivals we can send a larger vehicle or a separate luggage van, so bags never compete with passengers for space. Tell us the number and size of bags, and anything unusual such as prams, wheelchairs or equipment cases.

Typical drive times from Dubai International outside the rush hours are around 15 to 25 minutes to Downtown Dubai and DIFC, and around 35 to 45 minutes to Dubai Marina, JBR and Palm Jumeirah. If your group lands on several flights, we can collect each party separately or wait and bring everyone together; our guide to meeting your driver at DXB explains each terminal, and airport transfers covers departures too.

Events, weddings and conferences

A minibus is often the right size for event transport. It keeps a group together between hotel and venue, it is quick to load, and it fits into drop-off lanes that a coach cannot use. Typical jobs include:

• Guest shuttles between hotels and a wedding venue, running to the planner’s timetable
• Speaker and VIP runs to the Dubai World Trade Centre or Expo City Dubai
• Exhibitor teams travelling to a stand every morning and back every evening
• Gala dinners and award nights, with the minibus waiting for the late finish

For weddings, the minibus usually works alongside the bridal car and the family cars, all on one quote; see wedding car with driver and wedding and event transport. For exhibitions, our Expo City Dubai page explains how we plan drop-off points before the show.

City tours and day trips by minibus

A minibus with a driver for the day is the easiest way to show a group the city. A typical day starts in Old Dubai with the Al Fahidi neighbourhood and an abra across the Creek to the souks, moves on to Downtown, the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa in the afternoon, and finishes in Dubai Marina after dark. The driver meets you on whichever side of the Creek you finish, and shopping stays locked in the vehicle between stops.

Further afield, groups book minibuses for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the dam and heritage village at Hatta and the oasis city of Al Ain. These are quoted as intercity days, with tolls and the waiting allowance listed on the quote. Our drivers know the roads and the best times to visit, but they are drivers rather than licensed tour guides, so book a guide separately if you want commentary.

Corporate groups, crews and site visits

Companies use minibuses for team days, site visits, client tours and production crews moving between locations. One vehicle and one driver stay with the group all day, so nobody is left arranging taxis between meetings. For recurring schedules, such as a daily run for a project team, send the route, the pick-up points, the days and the times, and we price the schedule as a whole.

Companies that book regularly can open an account with one consolidated monthly invoice, broken down by cost centre on request. Assistants and travel bookers can book for any team, and the confirmation goes to the person who made the booking. See corporate transport for more.

Schools, clubs and sports teams

School trips, club outings and sports fixtures are natural minibus jobs. A HiAce carries a squad of up to thirteen with kit bags in the rear luggage area; a mini coach takes a class or a youth team of up to thirty, with overhead and rear luggage space. Every seat has a seat belt, and the driver asks everyone to buckle up before setting off.

Send us the headcount, the number of supervising adults and any equipment when you book. If the group is close to a vehicle’s limit, we will suggest the next size up rather than a tight fit, so that nobody ends up on a lap or standing in the aisle.

Drive times by minibus from Dubai

Typical times outside the rush hours, for planning a programme. Weekday mornings and late afternoons on Sheikh Zayed Road and the roads into Sharjah can add considerably, and we build that into the pick-up times on your quote.

• DXB to Downtown Dubai and DIFC: around 15 to 25 minutes
• DXB to Dubai Marina, JBR and Palm Jumeirah: around 35 to 45 minutes
• Dubai to Sharjah: around 30 minutes off-peak, often an hour or more at rush hour
• Dubai to Abu Dhabi city: around 1 hour 30 minutes
• Dubai to Hatta, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah: around 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours

For intercity groups, see our routes to Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, or all transfer routes from Dubai.

Hotel pick-ups and access

Hotels manage their driveways closely, and a minibus is easier to bring to the door than a coach. Even so, give us the exact entrance for each pick-up, because some hotels ask larger vehicles to use a side entrance or a coach bay, and some residential communities restrict them. We check the access in advance and tell the group leader where to wait.

If the group is spread across several hotels, each extra stop adds time to the loop. Tell us the addresses and the time you need to arrive, and we will set the pick-up order and times backwards from it, or suggest two smaller vehicles if that gets everyone there sooner.

Several days, or the same driver every day

Many groups keep a minibus for the whole of a visit: an airport arrival, two or three days of programme and a departure. Put every day in one request and you receive one quote, with each day and each journey listed. Ask in the notes and we will do our best to keep the same driver and vehicle throughout, so the driver already knows the hotel entrance, the group leader and the shape of each day.

For a regular schedule, such as a daily run for a project team or an event season, send the route, the pick-up points, the days and the times, and we price the schedule as a whole.

Comfort on longer drives

Every minibus is fully air-conditioned and cooled before pick-up. The Sprinter and the mini coach have reclining seats, which make a difference on a 90-minute run to Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, and the Sprinter has individual air vents and reading lights at each seat. On long drives the driver can stop for a short comfort break; if you would like a coffee or photo stop, tell us when you book and it will be built into the timing.

For passengers with limited mobility, tell us what is needed. Drivers help with steps and luggage, folding wheelchairs travel in the luggage space, and the V-Class, with its sliding doors, is often the easiest vehicle to board. We confirm in writing what we can arrange.

How minibus hire is priced

Our starting prices are for a full day of up to 10 hours within Dubai, with the driver and fuel: from AED 900 per day for the HiAce, from AED 2,450 per day for the Sprinter and from AED 1,100 per day for the mini coach. The Sprinter costs more than the larger mini coach because it is an executive vehicle with leather seating and a premium finish, while the HiAce and the mini coach are priced as working group transport.

Hourly bookings within Dubai start from four hours. Airport runs and one-way trips are quoted per trip, and days that include another emirate are quoted as intercity days. Your quote lists the tolls, parking and waiting allowance for your route, and there is no surge pricing for late nights, public holidays or rain. Our bus rental price guide explains what each price includes and works through examples.

What to tell us when you book

The more we know, the more accurate the first quote. A good request includes:

• The number of passengers, including children and any supervising adults
• The number and size of bags, and anything unusual such as golf clubs, prams or equipment
• Every pick-up and drop-off address, with the hotel entrance if you know it
• Flight numbers for airport pick-ups
• The start time, and the likely finish time for a day booking
• Any stops on the way, such as a second hotel or a photo stop

Use the quote card on this page or the booking page; a fixed, written quote follows by email, usually within the hour. You can also send the details on WhatsApp to +971 54 126 1681.

On the day

The driver arrives ten minutes before the agreed time with the minibus cooled and ready, and asks for the group leader by name. Before setting off, the driver will ask everyone to fasten their seat belts; UAE law requires every passenger to wear one, front and rear. Between stops, the minibus waits in nearby parking and comes to the entrance when you message.

If the plan changes during a day booking, tell the driver: within the booked hours, the order of stops is yours. If the day runs long, extra time is charged at the hourly rate written on your quote. Changes to the booking itself follow the terms on your written quote.

Self-drive or with a driver?

Some companies in Dubai rent minibuses for self-drive. We do not: every vehicle we supply comes with a professional driver. For most visiting groups that is the simpler option anyway. Driving a larger passenger vehicle needs the right licence class, and with a driver you avoid the parking, the fuel, the tolls and the stress of finding hotel entrances in a city you may not know. It also means everyone in the group, including the organiser, gets to enjoy the day.

Prices for these vehicles

Starting prices with driver and fuel, within Dubai. Hourly hire has a minimum number of hours, confirmed on your quote. Monthly prices are for a daily staff route; the route, hours and working days are confirmed on your quote. Your written quote gives the exact price for your date and route.

Related: Van with driver · Bus rental prices · Airport Chauffeur · Mercedes Sprinter · Get a quote

Keep reading

• Can you drive a rented minibus yourself?: Self-drive minibus hire in the UAE: the licence question, the costs that arrive later, and when a driver is the simpler choice.
• Coach rental Dubai: Mini coaches and 50-seat coaches with a driver for tours, conferences, schools and teams, sized to the group and quoted in writing.
• Dubai airport transfer for groups: Vans, Sprinters, mini coaches and 50-seat coaches for groups landing at DXB or DWC, with the luggage and the split flights planned.
• HiAce vs Sprinter vs Coaster vs 50-seater: Four vehicles, one group: seats, luggage, comfort and day rates for the HiAce, Sprinter, Coaster and 50-seater coach, with an honest pick for each group size.
• School trip bus rental: Mini coaches and 50-seat coaches with a driver for class trips, fixtures and residentials, with a seat belt on every seat.
• Monthly bus rental: A dedicated van, minibus or coach with its driver for weeks or months, with the hours, days and area agreed in writing.