Bangalore to Chennai by charter bus
Quoted from the Bengaluru end, on a Karnataka-registered vehicle, crossing into Tamil Nadu. If your journey starts in Chennai, our sibling operation there is the better source.
In short
Bengaluru to Chennai is about 350 km on the Hosur–Krishnagiri corridor and crosses into Tamil Nadu. A two-day charter bills 700 km in every class from 33 seats up, putting a 33-seater at ₹27,800–34,500 and a 45-seater at ₹35,200–47,500, plus Tamil Nadu entry tax where the vehicle is not on an AITP.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · entry-tax figures reviewed with the permit guide; costs recomputed with the rate card
Bengaluru to Chennai charter, by vehicle
Two days held, 350 km each way. The 700 km round trip meets the 45-seat two-day minimum exactly and exceeds the smaller classes', so this route bills close to actual distance throughout.
| Vehicle | Billable km | Per km (AC) | Bata total | Charter subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-seat tempo traveller | 700 km | ₹26–32/km | ₹1,200–1,600 | ₹19,400–24,000 |
| 21-seat minibus | 700 km | ₹28–35/km | ₹1,200–1,600 | ₹20,800–26,100 |
| 27-seat minibus | 700 km | ₹32–45/km | ₹1,200–1,600 | ₹23,600–33,100 |
| 33-seat AC bus | 700 km | ₹38–47/km | ₹1,200–1,600 | ₹27,800–34,500 |
| 45-seat AC bus | 700 km | ₹48–65/km | ₹1,600–2,000 | ₹35,200–47,500 |
| 55-seat coach | 700 km | ₹55–65/km | ₹1,600–2,000 | ₹40,100–47,500 |
One road, two different quotes
The Bengaluru–Chennai corridor is one of the busiest charter routes in south India and it is quoted differently from each end, which is why we only quote our own.
From Bengaluru, this is a Karnataka-registered vehicle crossing into Tamil Nadu. The permit question is a Tamil Nadu entry question: roughly ₹25,000 for a 35-seater and ₹30,500 for a 45-seater on a short-duration entry without an All India Tourist Permit, and nil on a valid one. The city-exit discipline is a Hosur Road discipline, which means Silk Board and the Electronic City elevated approach.
From Chennai, everything reverses: a Tamil Nadu-registered vehicle entering Karnataka, a different set of exit roads, a different set of pickup corridors and a different fleet. Our sibling operation at chennaibusrentals.com quotes that leg, and if your group starts in Chennai you will get a better price and a better plan from them than from us.
We are explicit about this because the alternative — a single page pretending to serve both ends — produces a worse quote for one of them. The road is shared. The operation is not.
Route, the Hosur exit and drive-time reality
The corridor runs out of Bengaluru on Hosur Road, past Electronic City, through Hosur and Krishnagiri, and east toward Chennai. It is a good road for most of its length, and as usual the hard part is the first twenty kilometres.
Silk Board and the Electronic City approach decide your morning. Clear the last pickup by 06:00. Bengaluru's morning peak runs at 41 minutes 6 seconds per 10 kilometres, and this exit carries the city's heaviest commuting flow in the same direction you want to travel.
For an evening departure the arithmetic is worse. The evening peak is 45 minutes 27 seconds per 10 km — 13.2 km/h — and a coach leaving Electronic City at 18:00 will spend an hour covering ground that takes twenty minutes at 21:00. If the trip must start in the evening, start it late.
Vehicle choice is unconstrained by the road. There is no ghat section and no access problem; a 55-seat coach is as viable as a minibus. The choice is purely about headcount and comfort over 700 kilometres.
What this route is usually booked for
Corporate movements between offices. Companies with sites in both cities move teams by coach for training, audits and all-hands events, usually as a two-day round trip with one night in Chennai. This is the most common use and it prices well, because 700 billable kilometres against a 700 km road distance means nothing is wasted.
Group travel where the far end needs transport. A charter that reaches Chennai still has the vehicle for the second day, which is worth more than it looks for a group that intends to move around once it arrives.
Onward legs. Chennai is frequently a waypoint rather than a destination — for Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram or the temple circuit. For those itineraries the honest answer is that our Chennai sibling knows that ground far better than we do, and a Bengaluru-origin vehicle running a Tamil Nadu circuit is paying entry tax and dead kilometres to do a job a Chennai-based coach does better.
We will happily quote Bengaluru to Chennai and back. For anything that continues deeper into Tamil Nadu, ask us and we will point you east rather than pretend otherwise.
Questions we answer daily
How much does a bus from Bangalore to Chennai cost?
For two days, ₹27,800–34,500 in a 33-seat AC bus and ₹35,200–47,500 in a 45-seat coach as charter subtotals, plus Tamil Nadu entry tax of roughly ₹25,000–₹30,500 for a bus-class vehicle not on an All India Tourist Permit, plus tolls and GST.
How far is Chennai from Bangalore by road?
About 350 kilometres on the Hosur–Krishnagiri corridor, so a 700 km round trip. That figure meets the 45-seat two-day minimum exactly and exceeds it for smaller classes, which makes this one of the few routes where you are billed almost precisely for the distance driven.
Do I need a permit for a bus from Bangalore to Chennai?
The vehicle needs either a valid All India Tourist Permit or a Tamil Nadu short-duration entry payment — roughly ₹25,000 for a 35-seater and ₹30,500 for a 45-seater, based on Tamil Nadu's per-seat basis of about ₹650 a seat for bus-class vehicles. On a valid AITP it should be nil.
What time should a bus leave Bangalore for Chennai?
Clear the last pickup by 06:00. This is a Hosur Road exit through Silk Board and the Electronic City approach, which carries the city's heaviest commuting flow in the same direction you want to travel. For an evening start, leave after 21:00 rather than at 18:00.
Can you quote a Chennai to Bangalore trip?
We quote the Bengaluru-origin leg. For a journey starting in Chennai, our sibling operation at chennaibusrentals.com has the local fleet, the Chennai pickup corridors and the Karnataka-entry side of the permit question, and will quote it better than we can from this end.
Is a coach a good way to move a corporate team between the two cities?
For a team of 25 or more, yes, and it is the most common booking on this route — a two-day round trip with one night in Chennai, for training, audits or all-hands events. You also keep the vehicle for the second day, which matters if the team needs to move around once it arrives.
Can the bus continue to Pondicherry or Mahabalipuram?
It can, but it is usually the wrong answer. A Bengaluru-origin vehicle running a Tamil Nadu circuit pays entry tax and dead kilometres to do a job a Chennai-based coach does better and cheaper. Ask us and we will point you to our Chennai sibling rather than quote you a poor plan.
Is there any ghat or access constraint on this route?
None. It is a good road for most of its length with no gradient problem and no access issue, so vehicle choice is purely about headcount and comfort over 700 kilometres. A 55-seat coach is as viable here as a 21-seat minibus, which is not true of any hill route from Bengaluru.
Related pages
- Permits and interstate tax The Tamil Nadu crossing in full
- Getaway matrix Fourteen destinations compared
- Bangalore to Ooty The other Tamil Nadu crossing
- 45-seater bus rental Unconstrained by this road
- Employee transport For companies with sites in both cities
- Rate card Per-km, minimums and bata
Send the headcount, the pickup points and the date.
You get a written quote with billable kilometres, bata, tolls and the GST option spelled out — usually inside two hours, on WhatsApp or as a proforma invoice your finance team can raise a PO against.