School and College Trips from Varanasi: Bus Cost per Student

A full 40-seater bus for a school day in Varanasi costs ₹11,999 on our rate card, which comes to just under ₹300 a seat. That price is for 8 hr and 80 km, before GST. The per-head figure is what goes in the circular to parents, so we've done the division for every bus we run.

What does each bus cost per student?

The 45-seater is the cheapest bus seat we have, as long as you fill it. The 49-seater is the one to take when the class just won't fit in 45, or when you're carrying a lot of bags for a camp.

Remember to count teachers. A teacher takes a seat like anyone else. So when you work out the fee for parents, split the bus price over the students only.

Just one section, small enough for a 20-seater or 26-seater with the teachers counted? Then honestly, don't book a bus. We'd send a tempo traveller instead, ₹4,499 for our 20-seater or ₹5,499 for the 26, on the same 8 hr and 80 km. Both work out under ₹250 a seat, so a small class actually pays less per head in a tempo traveller.

So what's in the price, and what isn't?

The 8 hr package gives you the bus, the driver and fuel for 80 km. A longer day moves you to our 12 hr / 200 km package. That's ₹12,999 on the 40-seater, ₹14,999 on the 45 and ₹17,999 on the 49.

• Driver allowance is extra for every day the bus is with you, ₹600 on the 40 and 45 seaters and ₹700 on the 49.
• Toll and parking are billed at actuals, and we show you the receipts.
• GST is added on the invoice at the applicable rate, so the school gets a proper bill for its accounts.
• If the bus is driving between 11pm and 6am, the driver allowance is charged a second time.

Day trips that fit inside a school day

Sarnath is the easy one, and it's close. By road it's 9.5 km from Godowlia and 9.1 km from Varanasi Junction, so the whole outing sits comfortably on the 8 hr package. The bus parks near the site, which makes the headcount much easier than anywhere in the old city.

Plan around the Archaeological Museum. It's closed on Fridays and open from 09:00 to 17:00 on the other days. Museum entry is ₹5, and children below 15 years go in free; the ruins park next door has its own ticket. Bringing a whole school? Call the museum before you go.

We often pair Sarnath with Ramnagar Fort. It's 6.8 km from Godowlia. Sarnath before lunch, the fort after, and we're still inside the package. Chunar Fort takes more of the day, since it's 32.3 km out from Varanasi Junction. Twice that is still under 80 km, though where we pick up the class decides whether Chunar fits the 8 hr package.

Going further: Prayagraj and Bodh Gaya

Outstation trips are billed per km, with a minimum of 250 km a day. Our 40-seater is ₹47 a km, which is ₹1.18 per seat per km if every seat is filled. The 45-seater at ₹51 a km comes out a little lower per seat.

Prayagraj is 130 km away. Go and come back the same day and you've driven a bit over our 250 km minimum. Bodh Gaya's 242.6 km each way. Please don't try it in a day with kids; we run it as an overnight trip. If the trip crosses into Bihar, any state permit is billed at actuals, as on our rates page, plus the driver allowance for every day he's out.

Booking for a class or a whole school

Send us the number of students, the number of teachers, the date and the pickup point at the school gate. We'll come back with the bus size and a written quote built from the numbers on this page. Booking two or three buses? They all run off one plan and one clock. Nobody's class ends up standing at a gate wondering where the others went.

Our advice: book the bus first and the museum second. A Friday date at Sarnath means a closed museum, so fix the day with the school, then call us.