DOTS OFFERS CHARTER SERVICES TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COMMUNITY.
The Shuttle-UM vehicle fleet is available for charter for any university-related travel by a University of Maryland-recognized and affiliated entity. This service is available for university departments, organizations, event organizers, faculty, staff and students at the University of Maryland. All requests are subject to fleet and driver availability.
Below you'll find essential information about our booking process, vehicle types, and rates. This guide is designed to help you easily navigate through our charter services. For any questions, please go to the Contact Us section of this page.
WHEN SHOULD I REQUEST SERVICE
THE CHARTER BOOKING PROCESS
IMPORTANT MESSAGES
During the winter season, adverse weather conditions can significantly impact the safety of bus travel. The Charter Department maintains the authority to cancel any scheduled trip if the prevailing weather conditions are deemed unsafe for our drivers to execute their responsibilities effectively. In the event of such a cancellation, the customer will incur no charges.
UPCOMING BLACKOUT DATES
- Saturday, April 27, 2024
Monday, May 20, 2024 - Wednesday, May 22, 2024
VEHICLES AND RATES
MOTORCOACH
$150.00 / hour, five-hour booking minimum, $1.62 / mile, subject to other fees including the preparation & cleaning fee
- 54 seats
- Available for local, interstate, single or multi-day trips
- Not ADA-Accessible
AIRPORT SERVICE*
All Area Airports (BWI, IAD, DCA): $750.00
* Five-hour booking minimum not required for airport and train station service. No cleaning fee is applied to airport and train station service. Rates reflect origin/destination for on-campus locations only, off-campus locations may incur additional fees.
LARGE TRANSIT: BUS
$125.00 / hour, two-hour booking minimum, subject to other fees including the preparation & cleaning fee
- 37 seats
- May hold up to 22 additional standing passengers*
- Available for single-day trips
- ADA-Accessible
- Available for local and regional trips within a 50-mile radius of College Park
- To prioritize passenger safety, we do not allow our transit vehicles to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
*Standing passengers are only permitted for the immediate campus area on roadways with posted speed limits not exceeding 40 mph
SMALL TRANSIT: VAN
$100.00 / hour, two-hour booking minimum, subject to other fees including the preparation & cleaning fee
- 17 seats
- Available for single-day trips
- ADA-Accessible
- Available for local and regional trips within a 50-mile radius of College Park
- To prioritize passenger safety, we do not allow our transit vehicles to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
SPRINTER VAN
$125.00 / hour, two-hour booking minimum, subject to other fees including the preparation & cleaning fee
- Up to 13 passengers
- For airport and train transfers, up to 7 passengers due to luggage capacity
- Not ADA-Accessible
- Single-day use only
- Available for local and trips within a 100-mile radius of College Park
AIRPORT SERVICE*
- Baltimore-Washington International (BWI): $125.00
- Washington Dulles International (IAD): $175.00
- Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA): $125.00
TRAIN STATION SERVICE*
- Union Station Washington D.C. (WAS): $115.00
- New Carrollton, Maryland (NC): $75.00
* Two-hour booking minimum not required for airport and train station service. No cleaning fee is applied to airport and train station service. Rates reflect origin/destination for on-campus locations only, off-campus locations may incur additional fees.
SUV
$115.00 / hour, two-hour booking minimum, subject to other fees including the preparation & cleaning fee
- Up to 5 passengers
- Not ADA-Accessible
- Available for local, interstate, single or multi-day trips
AIRPORT SERVICE*
- Baltimore-Washington International (BWI): $115.00
- Washington Dulles International (IAD): $150.00
- Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA): $115.00
TRAIN STATION SERVICE*
- Union Station Washington D.C. (WAS): $90.00
- New Carrollton, Maryland (NC): $66.00
* Two-hour booking minimum not required for airport and train station service. No cleaning fee is applied to airport and train station service. Rates reflect origin/destination for on-campus locations only, off-campus locations may incur additional fees.
CHARTER SERVICES: BOOKING & POLICIES
Booking Process
When booking a charter, understanding the process of fee calculation and finalization is important. Charter hours are calculated from departure to return to the College Park campus. For trips starting or ending at other locations, travel time to and from the off-campus location will be calculated accordingly. Most estimates will include preparation and cleaning fees that will be listed as a stand-alone charge. Preparation and cleaning fees do not apply to flat-rate airport and train station transfers.
A charter request is finalized upon the Charter Department receiving a signed estimate from the customer and the subsequent issuance of a confirmation document. These signed estimates can be submitted via email. Service provision hinges on the receipt of a signed estimate received within an agreed upon timeframe.
When to Book Your Trip
To optimize the planning of bus and driver resources and accommodate as many customers as possible, charters should ideally be booked at least four to eight weeks in advance. We recommend initiating the charter process no less than six weeks before the intended service date. Initial responses from the Charter Department regarding new charter requests can be expected within seven university business days.
Late Fees, Change Fees & Rush Fees
To avoid fees and ensure optimal preparation, signed estimates and finalized itineraries must be received by the Charter Department at least eight university business days before the trip. The rush / late fee for motorcoaches, large transit buses, small transit vans, and sprinter vans is the greater of one hour of the hourly rate for that vehicle type or 8% of the total trip cost. For SUVs, the rush / late fee is a flat rate of $30.00.
Rush / Late fees apply to all charters not finalized within eight university business days. Please note that our office may not accept charter requests received less than 72 hours in advance.
Finalized itineraries should be submitted no later than eight university business days before the trip. Changes to the charter (such as modifications in locations or adjustments in start/end times exceeding 30 minutes) made less than eight university business days before the first scheduled pickup may incur additional fees and could lead to charter cancellation if the necessary resources are unavailable. All changes must be confirmed in writing with a member of the Charter Department.
Cancellations
Once a request has been confirmed, cancellations must be made by emailing the Charter Department. Canceling with at least seven cal, or due to inclement weather or other factors beyond human control, will fully release you from financial obligation.
Otherwise, single-day service canceled with less than one week's notice but at least 24 hours' notice will be assessed a fee equal to $30 for SUV service, or the lesser of 20% of the total service estimate or $100 per vehicle for bus service. Single-day service canceled with less than 24 hours' notice will be assessed a fee equal to the greater of $30 or 50% of the total service estimate. For multi-day service canceled with less than 24 hours' notice, the cancellation fee of 50% will apply to the first day, and the $100-per-bus or $30-per-SUV fee will apply toward the remainder of the agreed service.
OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES
- Legal Hours of Service: For trips exceeding 14 on-duty hours, including a maximum of 10 driving hours, additional costs are included for necessary driver shift changes.
- Charter Approval: DOTS reserves the right to approve charters based on vehicle and personnel availability.
- No-Show Policy: If a group fails to show within 30 minutes of the scheduled pickup time, drivers may classify it as a "no-show."
- Minor Travel: Groups with minors must have an adult chaperone throughout the journey.
- Additional Expenses: The chartering group is responsible for any parking and lodging fees incurred during the trip.
- Itinerary Changes: Alterations to the itinerary may incur extra charges. Unscheduled stops are at the driver’s discretion.
- Itinerary Submission: Final itineraries must be provided at least 8 university business days before the trip for proper route planning.
- Driver's Authority: Drivers may consider group navigation suggestions but have the final say. Routes chosen prioritize safety and vehicle suitability.
- Driver Distraction: Passengers should minimize distractions to the driver. The driver can remove any passenger who:
- Has an open container of alcohol or a lit tobacco product.
- Violates the Code of Student Conduct or the Human Relations Code.
- Negatively impacts the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle safely.
CONTACT US
Inquiries may be made via email or phone during normal business hours.
Email: charterum@umd.edu
Phone: 301-314-7271
Urgent contact regarding a current trip: Charter Operations Hotline: (301) 314 7271, option 1