Free tool
What a used bus costs you each year, and whether to replace yours
The price is only part of it. Insurance, repairs, fuel, inspections and drivers keep coming every year. Put in your figures to see the full yearly cost, then tick the box to compare it with keeping the bus you already have. What you type stays in your browser.
Cost of owning, per year
The starting price is our listings' median. Every other figure is yours. Nothing else here is an estimate of ours.
Made with the free bus ownership cost calculator from CommercialBuses: commercialbuses.com/bus-ownership-cost
Get your own figures
- Used bus prices by type and model year, for a price or what your current bus might sell for.
- Used bus mileage to judge how many years a bus has left.
- The board proposal tool to take these numbers to your board with a five-year cost table.
Common questions
What goes into the yearly cost of owning a bus?
The price less what you expect to sell it for, spread over the years you keep it, plus insurance, a maintenance and repair reserve, fuel, required inspections and driver pay if your drivers are paid. Insurance and maintenance vary too much by state, use and bus to give one honest figure, so the calculator asks for your quotes.
How do I decide whether to keep an old bus or replace it?
Compare the yearly cost of each. For the bus you have, count what you could sell it for today as money you give up by keeping it, spread over the years it has left, then add its insurance, repairs, fuel and inspections. If its repair bills are climbing, the replacement can cost less each year even with a purchase price.
How often does a bus need a DOT inspection?
Commercial vehicles in interstate service need an inspection at least once a year under federal rules (49 CFR 396.17). Many states add their own inspections for buses, and school buses often face more than one a year, so check your state and enter what you actually pay.
Where does the starting price come from?
It is the median asking price on used buses of that type and model years listed by dealers on this site, as of the date shown. It is an asking price, not a sale price, and you should replace it with the price of the bus you are looking at.