Bus and Van Charters

Please be aware that costs for charter services have increased.

Cost increases are due to smaller pool of available drivers, as well as rising fleet maintenance costs. Due to demand for drivers, charter service requests should be submitted with as much advance notice as possible to allow time for staffing.

Bus and Van Charters

• Vehicles range from 11-passenger vans to 54-passenger coaches.
• Charter requests should be submitted with as much advance notice as possible (at least 4-5 weeks prior) to ensure that vehicle(s) will be available.
• Requesting services through Columbia Transportation ensures that all students, staff and faculty are covered under Columbia’s insurance agreements and standards.

Note: charter bus service providers are struggling to meet demand due to continued driver shortages. As such, they are requiring greater advance notice for all charter requests.

Billing

Note: Sponsored funds/grant funding is not accepted.

For Columbia University departments that can charge a chartstring:

Requestors do not have to create purchase orders as Transportation processes all invoices and bills customers monthly via ITF. The charges will appear on:

• Account 65298 for consolidated ChartStrings
• Account 65213 for non-consolidated ChartStrings

All charter services are billed electronically. There is no need for cash transactions at the time of service, as any additional services not previously quoted will be billed electronically. Tips are not required and are left to the discretion of the department.

In order not to be charged the full amount, cancellations must be made in writing by emailing [email protected] no less than 96 hours prior to the scheduled trip departure time.

For non-Columbia affiliates and private requestors (must have a CU sponsor) that cannot charge a chartstring:

Requestors must submit payment in check 7 business days in advance of event date or the reservation will be cancelled. The check should be made out to “The Trustees of Columbia University” with reference to Columbia Transportation and include the event date.

Charter Request Form

A Charter Request Form should be completed to obtain quote(s) for charter services. Upon receipt, Columbia Transportation will provide a quote within 2-3 business days.