What It Costs to Hire a Minibus in Almaty
Prices for the whole 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver in the city, to the airport, on intercity routes and day trips. The driver and fuel are already included.
* We’ll quote the exact price for your route and date right away. Payment in cash, by Kaspi transfer (a Kazakh banking app) or by bank invoice for companies. Prices valid from October 17, 2026.
What the price depends on
The price for the vehicle is made up of the route, the time on the road, the date and the stops.
The route, not the kilometers
We price by destination: a mountain road, a border, the driver’s overnight stop and time on site matter more than the distance on the map.
Trip length
By the hour, for a full day or with waiting time: the time behind the wheel affects the price.
Season and date
In high season demand is higher, and the cost of long trips may differ; those dates get booked in advance.
Extras
Several stops, pickup outside the city and extra waiting time are priced by arrangement.
What the price includes
We give you the exact amount for your route and date before the booking is confirmed, and it doesn’t change on the way. Any extra costs on your route are named right away.
- Pickup in the cityA clean Hiace comes to your address anywhere in Almaty with no separate pickup fee.
- Fuel and driverFuel and the driver’s work are already in the route price.
- Climate control and multimediaAir conditioning, heating and DVD · TV · MP3 come standard on every trip.
- Help with luggageWe help load and unload your things at every stop on the route.
How much a minibus with a driver costs in Almaty
In the city, from 10,000 ₸ (Kazakhstani tenge) per hour with a 3-hour minimum, so from 30,000 ₸ per booking. An airport transfer is from 25,000 ₸ for the whole trip. Out-of-town and intercity routes have a fixed price: Charyn Canyon from 80,000 ₸, Balkhash from 150,000 ₸ and Alakol from 110,000 ₸ round trip, Bishkek from 90,000 ₸ one way. All amounts are for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver.
Why the price is for the whole vehicle
You book the minibus with a driver as a whole, and its costs (fuel, the driver’s hours, upkeep of the vehicle) do not depend on how many people are inside. That is why we quote the amount for the trip. For you, this means two things: the price is known in advance and does not go up if two more people join at the last minute, and per person the trip gets cheaper the fuller the minibus is.
What makes up the amount
- The route and the road. An intercity price is based on the destination: highway or mountains, a border, the driver’s overnight stop. Balkhash is 470 km away and Alakol 600, yet Alakol costs less: the price follows the route, not the kilometers. Travel times and prices by destination are in our article on how long the drive from Almaty takes.
- The driver’s hours. In the city you pay for time: a minimum of 3 hours, then for the hours actually used. Waiting between stops within the paid time costs nothing extra. For a detailed breakdown, see what goes into the cost of a trip.
- One way or round trip. Chundzha with the return trip from 140,000 ₸, one way from 70,000 ₸. Each row of the table says what the price covers: round trip or one way.
- An overnight stay on a long trip. A multi-day trip, such as Alakol or Balkhash with a night on the shore or Burabay (Borovoe) with an overnight stop on the way, is priced by the number of days: the vehicle and the driver are busy only with you the whole time.
How to calculate it for a group of 8, 10 or 13 people
Divide the trip price by the number of passengers: that is the cost per person. On popular routes it works out like this:
- Airport transfer, from 25,000 ₸: for 8 people: 3,125 ₸ each, for 10: 2,500 ₸, for 13: about 1,920 ₸.
- Hourly hire, minimum booking 30,000 ₸: for 8 people: 3,750 ₸, for 10: 3,000 ₸, for 13: about 2,310 ₸ per person for three hours.
- Charyn Canyon, from 80,000 ₸ round trip: for 8 people: 10,000 ₸, for 10: 8,000 ₸, for 13: about 6,150 ₸ per person.
- Balkhash, from 150,000 ₸ round trip: for 8 people: 18,750 ₸, for 10: 15,000 ₸, for 13: about 11,540 ₸ per person.
The same number of people by taxi means three or four cars that get separated on the road, and a price that changes with demand in the app. Here the amount is known before departure and does not change on the way.
Where to look next
Fixed prices for all cities and lakes are on the intercity transfers page, one-day trips to Charyn, Kolsai and the mountains under day trips, and hourly pricing is explained on the hourly hire page. The terms for meeting your flight are under airport transfer, and the vehicle itself and what it has on board, under Toyota Hiace hire with a driver.
Questions about payment and booking
How much does minibus rental cost?
A Toyota Hiace with a driver costs from 10,000 ₸/hour (minimum 3 hours), and an Almaty airport transfer from 25,000 ₸. Intercity trips have a fixed price for the whole minibus: Charyn from 80,000 ₸, Balkhash from 150,000 ₸. We will give you the exact amount for your route and date right away, by phone or on WhatsApp.
Do I need to pay in advance?
For trips around the city and short bookings, no prepayment is needed: you pay after the trip in cash or by Kaspi transfer (a Kazakh banking app). For long intercity and multi-day trips we ask for a partial prepayment to secure the date: we tell you the amount when we confirm the booking, and the rest is paid before departure. We don’t take a deposit for the vehicle: the booking includes a driver.
Can I cancel a booking?
Yes. If you let us know at least 24 hours before pickup, cancellation is free. If you cancel later, when the driver has already set off, a pickup fee may be charged. Plans change: just call or message us on WhatsApp, and we’ll rearrange everything.
What payment methods do you accept?
Cash to the driver, Kaspi transfer, or bank transfer for companies, with an invoice, a contract and closing documents for your accounting department.
Can I book the minibus for several days?
Yes, from a few hours to several days. That’s how people do Charyn and Kolsai over two days, Lake Alakol and Lake Balkhash with a night on the shore, or Burabay (Borovoe), 1,450 km with an overnight stop on the way. The minibus stays with you the whole time, together with the driver. We calculate the price from the route and the number of days and quote it before departure.
What is included in the price, and what is paid separately?
The price includes the minibus, the driver, fuel and pickup in Almaty. Pickup outside the city, paid parking and extra waiting time are agreed before the booking is confirmed. On day trips, national park entrance fees and the local off-road vehicle to Kaindy are paid separately.
Toyota Hiace: cabin and luggage
All photos
- 13 passenger seats
- Air conditioning and heating
- High roof
- Soft reclining seats
- Electric door
- Luggage compartment
These photos show a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a high roof and a wide aisle between the seats. We took them ourselves: the cabin, the seats and the luggage compartment.
13-seat cabin
Luggage compartment
Tell us where and when
We’ll bring a Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver to any address in Almaty at the time you need. Available 24/7.
Our drivers don’t speak English. Phone calls are in Russian or Kazakh, so WhatsApp works best: write in English and we’ll reply using a translator. Need an interpreter? We can arrange one for an extra fee, agreed in advance.