Ames School Field Trip Charter Bus Rentals
No carpool coordination. No scrambling for parent drivers. No splitting your class across a dozen different cars. Busrentalames.com makes finding field trip transportation in Ames, Iowa fast and easy!
Fill out one quick form and compare vehicles and rates from a large network of bus companies serving central Iowa in seconds. Whether you're heading to Reiman Gardens right on campus or making the run down I-35 to the Science Center of Iowa, Busrentalames.com helps you find the right bus for your group. Call 515-337-8030 or use our 30-second online quote tool today to secure your Ames field trip bus!
Share Your Trip Details Once and Compare School Event Transportation Options Side by Side
Whether your class is exploring the Living History Farms (11121 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA 50322) for a full-day Iowa agriculture experience, visiting the Iowa State Capitol (1007 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50319) for a civics lesson, or spending the morning at Blank Park Zoo (7401 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315) with your elementary school group, Busrentalames.com connects you to a large network of independently owned bus companies serving Ames and all of central Iowa. You fill out one form and compare vehicles, amenities, and pricing side by side — so you're never stuck with whatever one company happens to have available. No account required, and a free quote is always available online or by phone at 515-337-8030!
Browse Party Buses, Minibuses, and Charter Buses for School Event Transportation
Choosing the right bus for your field trip comes down to headcount and destination. A smaller group — a science club heading to McFarland Park (56461 180th St, Ames, IA 50010) for an environmental program — fits perfectly in a sprinter van or a 15-passenger minibus. A full class of 30 students plus chaperones heading down I-35 to Des Moines needs a 56-passenger charter bus with undercarriage storage for backpacks and lunch bags.
Through the network, you can compare every vehicle type — sprinter vans, 15- to 35-passenger minibuses, and full-size 56-passenger charter buses — and find the one that matches your group size and your itinerary. Compare pictures, packages, and prices all in one place, and choose the bus that works for you!
56 Passenger Charter Bus
35 Passenger Minibus
30 Passenger Minibus
28 Passenger Minibus
25 Passenger Minibus
20 Passenger Minibus
18 Passenger Minibus
15 Passenger Minibus
15-50 Passenger Party Buses
Sprinter Van with Driver
Sprinter Limo
School Bus
Vehicles shown above are NOT the exact makes and models available for every trip. We are NOT a transportation company and do not own or operate vehicles. Photos are examples only and may show stock or typical vehicles, not the exact vehicle offered for your reservation. Fill out the online quote form or call 515-337-8030 to view current vehicle options, photos, availability, and pricing. Confirm the exact vehicle details and amenities before booking.
Get Your Class to Reiman Gardens and Iowa State University Destinations
Busrentalames.com is here to make on-campus field trips in Ames easy! Reiman Gardens (1407 University Blvd, Ames, IA 50011) actively welcomes school groups across its 17 acres of botanical displays, and a bus drops your students at the University Boulevard entrance so nobody is hiking across campus from a distant parking lot. The Brunnier Art Museum (295 Scheman Bldg, Iowa State Center, Ames, IA 50011) offers free group tours by appointment, and the Farm House Museum (580 Farm House Ln, Ames, IA 50011) gives students a hands-on look at Iowa's agricultural heritage.
Iowa State's campus has bus-accessible drop-off zones near the Memorial Union (2229 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014) and Beardshear Hall (515 Morrill Rd, Ames, IA 50011) — so your group arrives together, right where the tour starts!
GPS can send you to the wrong side of campus: use the University Boulevard and South 16th Street intersection for Reiman Gardens, then bring your bus to the East Gate Entrance; buses park in Lot S2, and guest parking is unavailable on Iowa State home football game days. Your bus gets your class to the correct side of the Gardens without a campus-wide parking hunt; the Reiman Gardens directions and parking page has the exact approach.
Memorial Union has two bus access points: the South Entrance is directly off Lincoln Way, while the West Entrance is across from Lake LaVerne, where buses use Morrill Road and cannot use the north side of the building. Your bus can load or unload for no more than five minutes in the street, so your class moves through the curb quickly instead of blocking campus traffic; the Memorial Union bus unloading and loading guide shows both entrances.
Charter Buses to the Science Center of Iowa and Des Moines Field Trip Destinations
Busrentalames.com helps you lock in transportation for the most popular out-of-town field trip run from Ames — the 35-mile drive south on I-35 to Des Moines. The Science Center of Iowa (401 W Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, Des Moines, IA 50309) is one of Iowa's top K–12 destinations, with an IMAX theater and school group rates, and buses drop off at the main entrance on MLK Pkwy. The Iowa State Capitol offers free guided tours for school groups, with bus drop-off on E 9th St and parking in the state lot on the east side of the building. One charter bus keeps your whole class together for the full ride — no splitting the group, no worrying about who got lost on I-35!
Science Center arrivals have a bus lane on the front east side of the building, but parking there is limited and a full-size bus may be sent offsite after unloading. Your bus can unload the class first and clear the curb while smaller school vehicles use the parking ramp with validation; the Science Center of Iowa school field trip arrival guide lays out the bus-lane sequence.
Living History Farms and Regional Iowa Field Trip Bus Rentals
It's one of the most memorable field trips an Iowa student can take — and it requires a little advance planning to pull off smoothly. Living History Farms is a 500-acre outdoor museum of Iowa agricultural history about 45 miles from Ames, and advance group reservations are required. Bus parking is available in the main lot on Hickman Rd, so your group unloads right at the entrance.
Closer to home, Ledges State Park (1519 250th St, Boone, IA 50036) is just 20 miles west on US-30 and a favorite for science and nature field trips, with bus-accessible parking in the main lot. Busrentalames.com makes it easy to compare buses for any of these runs — find your vehicle and pricing in under 30 seconds!
For the 2026 fall school-trip window, Living History Farms runs Tuesday through Friday from September 2 through October 30, 2026, with arrival times from 8:40 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; the last tractor cart to the farm sites leaves at 2:30 p.m. Your bus gets the class there in time for the farm route instead of leaving students with only the town sites; the Living History Farms school field trip page carries the current arrival window.
Blank Park Zoo and Des Moines Arts Field Trip Transportation
You'll love how easy Busrentalames.com makes booking a bus for your Des Moines arts or nature field trip! Blank Park Zoo offers school group rates and designated bus lanes at the main entrance, with parking in the gravel overflow lot — so your students walk straight from the bus into the zoo. The Des Moines Art Center (4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312) offers free admission and school group tours, with bus parking in the main lot on Grand Ave. And the State Historical Museum of Iowa (600 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50319) is free for school groups, with bus drop-off on E Locust St. Compare minibuses and charter buses from a large network of bus companies serving Ames — and get pricing in seconds!
Spring and Fall Field Trip Season Bus Rentals in Ames
Busrentalames.com makes finding a field trip bus easy no matter when your trip is scheduled — but knowing when to book makes a big difference! Spring is the single busiest stretch of the field trip calendar across central Iowa, with April and May filling up fast as schools race to complete trips before standardized testing windows close. Fall brings a second busy season in September and October, when the weather is perfect for outdoor destinations like Ada Hayden Heritage Park (5205 Grand Ave, Ames, IA 50010) and McFarland Park.
On Iowa State home football Saturdays, traffic on University Blvd, Elwood Dr, and S 4th St gets heavy — so trips running through campus should plan around the game schedule. Book 4–6 weeks out for spring trips, and call 515-337-8030 to lock in your date!
School Event Transportation in Ames and All the Surrounding Areas
Let Busrentalames.com handle field trip transportation no matter where your group is starting from! The network of bus companies serves Ames and every surrounding community in central Iowa — so whether your school is in Ames, Boone, Nevada, Story City, or anywhere across Story County, finding the right bus is just one quick form away. You can even arrange transportation for multi-school trips, overnight academic competitions, or regional tournaments that start in one city and end in another. Busrentalames.com helps you compare vehicles and pricing from a large network of independently owned bus companies serving the entire region, so you always find what you need.
Call 515-337-8030 any time for a free quote, or use the online tool for instant pricing in under 30 seconds!
How Much Does School Event Transportation in Ames Cost?
| Type of Vehicle | Cost Per Hour Weekdays | Cost Per Hour Weekends | Cost Per Day | Cost Per Mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 Passenger Charter Bus | $205 – $385+ | $225 – $410+ | $1,650 – $2,950+ | $6.20 – $8.95+ |
| 35 Passenger Minibus | $225 – $370+ | $255 – $385+ | $1,815 – $2,415+ | $6.20 – $8.95+ |
| 30 Passenger Minibus | $205 – $365+ | $240 – $380+ | $1,670 – $2,335+ | $5.90 – $8.60+ |
| 28 Passenger Minibus | $190 – $355+ | $220 – $370+ | $1,540 – $2,255+ | $5.65 – $8.25+ |
| 25 Passenger Minibus | $190 – $350+ | $195 – $365+ | $1,420 – $2,180+ | $5.40 – $7.90+ |
| 20 Passenger Minibus | $190 – $340+ | $190 – $355+ | $1,300 – $2,080+ | $5.15 – $7.50+ |
| 18 Passenger Minibus | $190 – $330+ | $190 – $350+ | $1,210 – $1,990+ | $5.00 – $7.25+ |
| 15 Passenger Minibus | $180 – $310+ | $180 – $330+ | $1,150 – $1,880+ | $4.75 – $6.95+ |
| 15-50 Passenger Party Bus | $248 – $426+ | $265 – $460+ | $1,827 – $2,954+ | $6.75 – $9.95+ |
| Sprinter Van with Driver | $190 – $373+ | $218 – $466+ | $1,395 – $2,848+ | $5.00 – $6.95+ |
| Sprinter Limo | $190 – $340+ | $190 – $355+ | $1,300 – $2,080+ | $5.15 – $7.50+ |
| School Bus | $205 – $365+ | $240 – $380+ | $1,670 – $2,335+ | $5.00 – $7.60+ |
| ABOVE PRICES ARE JUST EXAMPLES. Your final price and vehicle options depend entirely on your specific trip details. To get an instant price quote for your trip, request an online quote or call 515-337-8030. | ||||
Frequently Asked Questions About Ames School Event Transportation Services
Busrentalames.com is an advertising and quote comparison website — not a bus company. You fill out one quick form with your trip details, and you're taken to a results page showing vehicles, photos, and pricing from a large network of independently owned bus companies serving Ames and central Iowa. Compare your options side by side, choose the bus that fits your group and your budget, and book right online.
No account required, and a free quote is always available at 515-337-8030!
Use the 30-second online quote tool — enter your pickup location, destination, date, and passenger count — and you'll land on a results page through a national booking platform showing available buses and pricing from independent operators serving the area. Review vehicle photos and packages, pick the one that works for your group, and book it right there online. If you'd rather talk it through, a live agent at 515-337-8030 can build a custom quote around your itinerary any day of the year!
Book at least 4–6 weeks out for most field trips, and stretch that to 6–8 weeks for spring trips in April and May — the busiest stretch of the year across central Iowa. Popular destinations like Living History Farms and the Science Center of Iowa fill up fast on spring Fridays. The earlier you compare and book, the better your vehicle selection and pricing.
Call 515-337-8030 to hold your date!
Yes! Iowa State's campus has bus-accessible drop-off zones near the Memorial Union and Beardshear Hall. For Reiman Gardens, buses drop off along University Boulevard at the garden entrance.
On Iowa State home football Saturdays, campus traffic gets heavy on University Blvd and Elwood Dr — plan your pickup and drop-off windows around the game schedule on those dates. Confirm current access details with your specific destination before your trip.
It depends on your headcount! A class of 30 students plus 4–6 chaperones fits comfortably on a 40-passenger minibus or a 56-passenger charter bus with room for backpacks and lunch bags in the undercarriage storage. Smaller groups — a science club of 12 or an honor society of 10 — fit well in a sprinter van or 15-passenger minibus.
Enter your exact passenger count in the quote tool and you'll see the vehicles sized to your group right on the results page!
That depends on the package you book and the length of your visit — both options are available through the network. For a full-day trip to Living History Farms or the Science Center of Iowa, most groups book the bus for the full day so it's staged and ready whenever the tour wraps up. For shorter visits, a drop-off and return pickup can be arranged.
Mention your expected visit length and any timing needs when you fill out the quote form, or call 515-337-8030 and an agent will put together the right package!
Absolutely! The run from Ames to Des Moines is about 35 miles south on I-35 — roughly 35–45 minutes off-peak, though morning rush can push that closer to an hour. It's the most popular out-of-town field trip corridor from Ames, serving destinations like the Science Center of Iowa, Blank Park Zoo, the Iowa State Capitol, and Living History Farms.
A 56-passenger charter bus keeps your whole class together for the full round trip. Compare buses and get pricing for your Des Moines field trip in under 30 seconds using the online quote tool!
Yes — ADA-accessible buses are available through the network. Just mention your accessibility needs when you fill out the quote form or when you call 515-337-8030, and an agent will match you with operators that have the right vehicle. Accessible buses with wheelchair lifts and wider aisle spacing are available for both local Ames trips and longer runs to Des Moines and beyond.
The earlier you mention the requirement, the better your options will be!