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Glite Dictionary
to charter a bus

to charter a bus

1 3.3
Hire a bus only for your group, usually for a trip or event
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈtʃɑːrtər ə bʌs/
translation icon : alquilar un autobús
  • The accident that killed the parents had been caused by a speeding chartered bus with failed brakes.
  • chartered a bus to bring
  • chartered a bus to take

And I've known about them and I approached them and asked if they could charter a bus and do this trip.

Examples

  • The scammers then chartered buses and took potential investors on a "tour" of their "facilities"—pointing out all the orange-painted pipes and tanks as their "oil production" infrastructure.

    Blog text (13)

  • For the family reunion, we chartered a bus to ensure everyone could join the fun.

  • So I chartered a bus.

    Mambo Italiano (2003)

  • I think it was a chartered bus, so it is not obvious how to simply place a bag in the luggage.

    Blog text (33)

  • And I've known about them and I approached them and asked if they could charter a bus and do this trip.

    Rich Roll

  • A chartered bus dropped us at her house across the lake, where we walked up the oak alley behind a band playing "Saints."

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Transportation from Medford to the Madonna Church will be provided by a chartered bus.

    Blog text (31)

  • Each year, Cronin and his students take a chartered bus to the NWTF National Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tenn.

    Blog text (20)

  • We would get all dolled up; our dates would dress in suits or the whole khaki/dress shirt/tie combination. We'd hop in a car or on a chartered bus, and we'd go dance and drink until it was time to go home.

    Blog text (9)

  • We chartered a bus to take the team to the championship game.

How Many

to charter a bus
1 3.3
to busing
  • US
3.1

Surface Forms

charter a bus infinitive
chartered a bus past
chartered a bus past participle
chartering a bus present participle
charters a bus third person singular

Morphology

charter + a + bus

The meaning 'to hire a bus for exclusive use' is directly and transparently derived from the verb 'charter' (to hire/lease) combined with the noun 'bus' and the article 'a'; a learner who knows these constituent meanings can infer the MWE meaning without special exposure. This follows a common verb + object compositional pattern that is cross-linguistically regular, making it immediately comprehensible at B1.

Etymology

The phrase charter a bus comes from the older use of charter as a written agreement to hire a whole vehicle, like a ship or a bus. Imagine signing a paper to rent the whole bus for your group, so it means 'to hire a bus for exclusive use'.