Three Things To Know Before You Tip Your Charter Bus Driver

Booking a charter bus for your group outing is ideal if you're traveling with many people. Instead of trying to coordinate travel routes and arrival times between a handful of drivers, your group can board the charter bus, have some laughs while enjoying the sights and not have to fuss over traffic or travel arrangements. Although tipping your charter bus driver is at your discretion, it's a sign of good etiquette to give the driver a tip at the end of the journey if you've been happy with everything. Before your next charter bus trip, here are three things to understand about the tipping process.

Tip Per Person Instead Of A Percentage

Unlike some services in which your tip should be a percentage of the total bill, it's conventional to tip your charter bus driver based on the number of people in the group. A common approach is to give $1 per person who rode the bus. This rule primarily applies to short rides. If you're traveling for a longer duration, it's ideal for each person to give between $5 and $10 to the driver. If you're in charge of the group's outing, it's useful to inform your fellow travelers of the tipping rule before the trip if you expect them to contribute their own tips. If your outing is such that you'll be taking care of all the costs, simply give a tip based on the size of the group.

Remember The Factors That Can Influence Your Tip

There's no harm in tipping a little beyond the $1 per person mark if the consensus is that the charter bus driver did an exemplary job. You can evaluate factors such as the driver's ability to stay on time and the smoothness of the ride he or she provided. It's also worthwhile to consider the interactions between the bus driver and the members of your group. If the driver was notably jovial or provided interesting information about the sights as they passed, it's courteous to tip beyond the mark of $1 per person.

There Are Typically Two Ways To Tip

When you board the charter bus, look for a tip jar mounted near the driver's seat or the dashboard. If one exists, tipping is as simple as depositing cash into the jar before leaving the bus for the last time. If there's no jar, remind your guests -- or handle the duty yourself, depending on the situation -- to simply hand their tip to the driver and say "thank you" as they climb off the bus.

For more information, contact a company like Barrington Transportation Co.