DOTS OFFERS Charter Services To the University of Maryland Community.
The Shuttle-UM vehicle fleet is available for charter for any university-related travel. This service is available for university departments, organizations and event organizers. University of Maryland's faculty, staff and students may request a charter. All charter requests must be for university business and subject to fleet availability.
Please review the sections below before requesting a charter; requesting your charter estimate, fees and payments, and charter policies.
To request a charter online, submit a Request A Charter Estimate form. Inquiries may also be made via e-mail (charterum@umd.edu)or by phone (301-314-7271). All bus charter estimates will include fees for preparation and clean-up time. Hourly rates are published, but no estimate should be considered official unless it has been provided specifically by the charter manager or a member of Charter Services.
Charters are not finalized and vehicles are not on hold until the Charter Services office receives a signed estimate from the customer, and the customer has received a confirmation document in response. Signed estimates may be e-mailed, faxed, mailed, or delivered, and are accepted during normal business hours only. Additional fees apply for all service finalized within one week of the trip. Service will not be provided without a signed estimate.
Beginning July 1, 2023, Charter rates for Fiscal Year 2024 will be adjusted to reflect the increased costs of providing service. The current rates will remain for any charters occurring prior to July 1. However, for charters booked after April 17 and occurring after July 1, the new rates will be in effect.
Details about cost increases are listed in the Charter Vehicles and Rates section. We appreciate your continued patronage and look forward to serving you in the future.
charter vehicles and rates
motor coach
- $100/hour + $1.25 per mile, five (5) hour minimum
- Up to 54 passengers
- Available for local, interstate, single or multi-day trips
FY24 Rates and Changes (Effective July 1, 2023)
- $125/hour + $1.35 per mile
- Up to 54 passengers
- Available for local, interstate, single or multi-day trips
LARGE transit
- Large transit buses can seat up to 38 passengers with up to an additional 22 standing passengers *
*Standing passengers are only permitted for the immediate campus area on roadways with posted speed limits not exceeding 40 mph - $92/hour, two (2) hour minimum
- Single-say use only
- Available for local and regional trips (Within a 50-mile radius of College Park. Transit vehicles do not cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge)
FY24 Rates and Changes (Effective July 1, 2023)
- Large transit buses can seat up to 38 passengers with up to an additional 22 standing passengers *
- Mini-buses can seat up to 26 passengers with up to an additional 14 passengers*
*Standing passengers are only permitted for the immediate campus area on roadways with posted speed limits not exceeding 40 mph - $100/hour, two (2) hour minimum
- Single-say use only
- Available for local and regional trips (Within a 50-mile radius of College Park. Transit vehicles do not cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge)
small transit
- Vehicle options include:
- Van: up to 17 passengers
- Mini-bus: Availability is very limited. Can seat up to 26 passengers with up to an additional 14 passengers*
*Standing passengers are only permitted for the immediate campus area on roadways with posted speed limits not exceeding 40 mph
- $80/hour, two (2) hour minimum for all small transit vehicles
- Available for local and regional trips (Within a 50-mile radius of College Park. Transit vehicles do not cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge)
FY24 Rates and Changes (Effective July 1, 2023)
- Our mini-bus option will no longer be offering a small transit option. It is available as a large transit option based upon availability
- Our vans can seat up to 17 passengers
- $85/hour, two (2) hour minimum for all small transit vehicles
- Single-day use only
- Available for local and regional trips (Within a 50-mile radius of College Park. Transit vehicles do not cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge)
Image; top: van, bottom: mini-bus.
Sprinter Van
- $95/hour, two (2) hour minimum
- Up to 13 passengers
- Single-day use only
- Available for local and trips within a 100 mile radius of College Park
FY24 Rates and Changes (Effective July 1, 2023)
- $95/hour, two (2) hour minimum
- Up to 13 passengers
- Single-day use only
- Available for local and trips within a 100 mile radius of College Park
Airport service*:
- Baltimore-Washington International (BWI): $95
- Washington Dulles International (IAD): $125
- Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA): $105
Train Station service*:
- Union Station Washington D.C. (WAS): $75
- New Carrollton, Maryland (NC): $55
- Baltimore Penn Station (BAL): $115
* 2-hour min. not required for airport & train station service. Rates reflect origin/destination for on-campus locations only, off-campus locations may incur additional fees.
suv
- $65/hour, two (2) hour minimum
- Up to five passengers
- Available for local, interstate, single or multi-day trips
Airport service*:
- Baltimore-Washington International (BWI): $65
- Washington Dulles International (IAD): $90
- Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA): $65
Train Station service*:
- Union Station Washington D.C. (WAS): $65
- New Carrollton, Maryland (NC): $35
- Baltimore Penn Station (BAL): $65
FY24 Rates and Changes (Effective July 1, 2023)
- $95.00/hour, two (2) hour minimum
- Up to five (5) passengers
- Available for local, interstate, single or multi-day trips
Airport service*:
- Baltimore-Washington International (BWI): $95
- Washington Dulles International (IAD): $125
- Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA): $105
Train Station service*:
- Union Station Washington D.C. (WAS): $75
- New Carrollton, Maryland (NC): $55
- Baltimore Penn Station (BAL): $115
* 2-hour min. not required for airport & train station service. Rates reflect origin/destination for on-campus locations only, off-campus locations may incur additional fees.
When initiating your request, please indicate the actual expected group size. Please do not list the largest seating capacity available unless you actually require that many seats.
Estimates are based on an hourly rental and therefore cannot be given without specific times and locations. Travel time estimates given by Google Maps or other automated means may not be realistic for bus travel. The charter manager will review all itineraries to determine whether the appropriate time has been allotted, and will price the trip accordingly.
If ADA accommodations are required, please provide notice with your request.
Hours for charter trips are based on the departure time and return arrival to the College Park campus. Trips starting or ending at other locations will include time allotments for travel to the origin or from the final drop-off location. A signed estimate must be returned, and confirmation document received, in order to "hold" the vehicles and reserve the charter. An additional fee of $100 for bus charters and $30 for SUV charters applies for any service for which the signed estimate has not been received by one week before the trip. For trips which exceed the legal limits for driving or on-duty time for a single driver, costs will be included to accommodate driver shift changes as required.
Fuel Charge Notice
The budgeted base diesel fuel cost for the current Fiscal Year is $4.00 per gallon. For every $0.25 increase from this price based on official US Government statistics for the Central Atlantic Region, a 1% fuel surcharge will be added to the estimate.
- Approval for charters are at the discretion of DOTS and upon the availability of vehicles and personnel.
- Drivers are instructed to wait up to 30 minutes past the scheduled pickup time before considering the group a "no-show."
- Groups traveling with minors must provide an adult chaperone for the duration of the ride.
- Parking and lodging fees necessary for performing the itinerary are the chartering group's responsibility.
- Changes to the itinerary may result in additional fees, and requests for unscheduled stops will be made entirely at the driver's discretion.
- In order for adequate route planning, final itineraries must be submitted 48-business hours prior to a scheduled trip.
- Drivers may take group navigation and/or directions under consideration, but ultimately hold right to refusal. Although shorter directions may exist, they may not be safe and/or navigable by a commercial vehicle.
- The driver will require focus and concentration in order to maintain safe operation of the vehicle and navigating unknown roadways. Please keep distractions to the driver at a minimum while they are operating the vehicle. The driver has the right to ask any passenger to leave the vehicle if they:
- Possess any open container of alcohol or lit tobacco product
- Violate the Code of Student Conduct or the Human Relations Code.
- Do or say anything that adversely affects the driver's safe operation of the vehicle.