Our own Ford mini coach · 28 passengers
Mini coach and minibus rental in New York
Twenty-eight forward-facing coach seats in a body short enough for New York streets and hotel forecourts a full-size coach cannot reach.
Get your flat rate
A firm price, before you book.
A 28-seat Ford mini coach, ours and on our own licence
Between a van and a full coach sits the vehicle most New York groups actually need. Twenty-eight forward-facing seats, coach-style, in a body short enough to turn into streets and hotel forecourts a 56-foot coach has to drive past.
It goes where the full coach cannot
Brownstone Brooklyn, older Manhattan blocks, church forecourts, country club driveways and most hotel entrances were not built for a 56-foot vehicle. Every wedding season somebody discovers this at the worst possible moment.
The mini coach turns in, stops at the door, and leaves without a three-point manoeuvre across a residential street. For a great many New York jobs that is worth more than extra seats.
Coach seating, not a converted van
Forward-facing seats in rows with a centre aisle, overhead storage for coats and bags, and climate control throughout. People sit facing the direction of travel rather than along the sides, which matters more than it sounds on a forty-minute run.
No restroom on board, which is the honest trade. For anything long enough to need one, our 56-seat Mercedes coach is the right vehicle.
Parking is the hidden cost of a full-size coach
New York allows buses to stand only in authorised spaces, metered at twenty dollars an hour with a three-hour cap, and never double-parked. In lower Manhattan a number of streets are closed to buses outright. On a long event a full coach needs a planned layover position some distance from the venue.
A mini coach sidesteps most of that. It parks more easily, waits closer, and can usually return to the door on request rather than to a point three blocks away. On a wedding or an evening event, where the vehicle is needed again at an unpredictable hour, this is often the deciding factor.
Where twenty-eight seats is the right answer
Wedding shuttles
Most New York weddings move sixty to ninety guests, which is two or three mini coach loops rather than one coach that cannot reach the venue. Running a loop also means late guests are not stranded.
Corporate offsites
A department of twenty to twenty-eight is the most common group size we are asked to move. One invoice to the account, one departure, nobody expensing a car.
Airport transfers
JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro with the flight tracked. Luggage rides inside rather than in under-floor bays, so for a group travelling with full checked bags tell us and we will advise honestly on which vehicle fits.
Tours and outings
Hudson Valley wineries, North Fork, Woodbury Common and the Hamptons. Short enough runs that the lack of a restroom is not a problem.
Event runs
MetLife, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. Booked hourly so the vehicle waits rather than leaving you to find a ride when the game runs long.
School and college groups
Commercially licensed chauffeurs, full insurance, and a certificate available on request. A class of twenty-five fits in one vehicle with a teacher at the front.
Mini coach or full coach?
Take the mini coach when the group is under twenty-eight, when the venue is a townhouse, a club driveway or an older street, when the vehicle needs to wait nearby, or when you are running a loop rather than one journey.
Take the 56-seat Mercedes when the group is larger, when the trip is long enough that a restroom matters, or when everyone is travelling with checked luggage that needs under-floor bays.
Tell us the group size, the venue address and the route, and we will tell you which one fits rather than quoting the larger vehicle by default.
Mini coach hire in New York
How many passengers does the mini coach take?
Twenty-eight seated. Below fourteen a Mercedes Sprinter is cheaper and easier, and above twenty-eight the 56-seat coach takes over.
Is there a restroom on board?
No. This is the main difference between the two vehicles. For journeys long enough to need one — Washington, Boston, Atlantic City — the full coach is the right choice.
How much luggage fits?
Hand luggage and bags ride inside with the passengers rather than in under-floor bays. Twenty-eight people with full suitcases will not fit, so for an airport group travelling heavy, tell us and we will recommend the coach instead.
Will it reach our venue when a full coach will not?
In most cases yes, which is usually why people ask for it. Send the address when you enquire and we will confirm rather than guess. Some driveways defeat anything larger than a Sprinter, and we would rather tell you that while you are still planning.
Can it wait during our event?
Yes, and this is where the smaller vehicle earns its money. Buses in New York may stand only in authorised spaces and are capped at three hours in lower Manhattan, so a full coach often waits some distance away. The mini coach generally stays closer and returns to the door when called.
Is it hired hourly or as a transfer?
Either. A single hotel-to-venue run is quoted as a transfer, while shuttle loops and evening events are hourly with a minimum. The figure is agreed before you book, with tolls and parking on the agreed route included.
Can you run several loops rather than one trip?
Yes, and for weddings this is usually the better structure. Two or three loops with a mini coach often beats one full coach that cannot reach the venue, and nobody is left behind because they ran late.
Do you go outside New York City?
Yes. New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut and the Hudson Valley are regular work. Longer runs are quoted as a day rate.
Is the vehicle yours?
Yes. The mini coach and the 56-seat coach are both ours, run on our licence with our own chauffeurs. Where a job needs something we do not operate, such as a stretch limousine, we say so and tell you it is an affiliate vehicle before you book.
Ready when you are
Send the date, the journey and the passenger count. We confirm the right vehicle and a flat rate, with nothing added afterwards.
Call (800) 515-0319