Tirupati for a family group
One vehicle, one driver's bata, everyone arrives together. About 280 km garage to garage at ₹21 – 25 a kilometre plus ₹700 – 800 bata, with the Andhra Pradesh permit named separately.
Nine to fourteen seats
Tempo Traveller Rental in Chennai
The 12+1, 13+1 and 14+1 tempo traveller is one commercial price class in Chennai, and this page publishes it in full. Above fourteen seats the market prices differently — and so do we, on a different site.
In short
A 12 to 14 seat tempo traveller in Chennai costs ₹4,800 – 5,600 for 8 hours and 80 km, ₹6,500 – 7,500 for 12 hr / 120 km, and ₹21 – 25 per kilometre on outstation round trips against a 250 km daily minimum. Driver bata is ₹700 – 800 a day, or ₹900 – 1,000 on a drop.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · tempo traveller rates re-checked each quarter; the 14/17-seat capacity boundary is reviewed annually against market price classes
Tempo traveller rates — 12+1, 13+1 and 14+1
Twelve, thirteen and fourteen seats are billed as one tier in Chennai. We have not split them into three prices to look more precise than the market is.
| Vehicle | 4 hr / 40 km | 8 hr / 80 km | 10 hr / 100 km | 12 hr / 120 km | Extra km | Extra hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tempo Traveller — 12+1, 13+1, 14+1 | ₹3,000 – 3,600 | ₹4,800 – 5,600 | ₹4,800 – 7,000 | ₹6,500 – 7,500 | ₹21 – 24 | ₹400 – 500 |
Rates verified September 2026AC, pushback or standard seating depending on the unit allotted · No driver bata on local hire inside ChennaiBands are indicative, not a fixed quote. What you pay depends on the vehicle class, the route, the date and any night hours — toll, parking, inter-state permit and hill-station charges are always billed at actuals with the receipts handed over, and 5% GST is a separate line on the invoice.
Outstation — drop and round trip
The gap between the drop rate and the round-trip rate is wider on a tempo traveller than on any car, because an empty 14-seater coming home costs the same fuel as a full one going out.
| Basis | Per km | Minimum | Driver bata | Night / waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-way drop | ₹24 – 27 | 250 – 300 km | ₹900 – 1,000, once | ₹200 night, ₹150/hr waiting |
| Round trip | ₹21 – 25 | 250 – 300 km per day | ₹700 – 800 per day | — |
| Round trip into Karnataka | ₹21 – 25 | 300 km per day | ₹700 – 800 per day | Karnataka permit at actuals |
Rates verified September 2026Hill charge ₹500 applies on Ooty, Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Yelagiri and Kolli Hills · Bata steps to ₹800/day beyond 500 km a dayBands are indicative, not a fixed quote. What you pay depends on the vehicle class, the route, the date and any night hours — toll, parking, inter-state permit and hill-station charges are always billed at actuals with the receipts handed over, and 5% GST is a separate line on the invoice.
Twelve or fourteen — which you actually need
The seat count on the sticker is not the number of people who travel comfortably. A 14+1 tempo traveller carrying fourteen adults with fourteen bags is carrying luggage in the aisle, and on a 500-kilometre run to Ooty that becomes a genuine safety and comfort problem. Our working rule for a multi-day trip is to book one seat class above your headcount: twelve people take the 14+1, fourteen people should be looking at two vehicles or at seventeen seats.
For a local Chennai day — a family function across three venues, an office outing to Mahabalipuram, a temple circuit — the seat count is the seat count, because the bags stay at home. Fourteen people in a 14+1 for eight hours at ₹4,800 – 5,600 works out at around ₹400 a head for the day, which is why this is the vehicle that wins on group economics almost every time it is considered.
Seating trim varies by unit. Some of the fleet is pushback recliner seating with a walk-in aisle and overhead lockers; some is standard fixed seating with more luggage room at the rear. We tell you which you are getting when we confirm, and for anything over 300 kilometres we will steer you to pushback if it is available — the difference over five hours is not cosmetic.
The nine-seater question
A 9-seat tempo traveller or Force Urbania sits in an odd commercial position: it is sold and priced as a large car rather than as a minibus, and the Chennai market has not settled a published tariff for it the way it has for the 12-to-14 tier. We run them, and we quote them individually in writing rather than putting a made-up figure in the table above. What we can tell you in advance is the shape of the answer — it lands between the Innova Crysta's ₹20 – 23 a kilometre and the tempo traveller's ₹21 – 25, and its local slab sits between ₹4,200 – 4,600 and ₹4,800 – 5,600 for eight hours.
If nine seats is what you need, ask. If you are choosing between a nine-seater and a 12+1 for eleven people, take the 12+1: the price difference is small and the luggage difference is not.
Where the tempo traveller earns its money
Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram in a day
The classic group day out of Chennai. Bought as a 12 hr / 120 km package at ₹6,500 – 7,500 rather than as an outstation trip, because the minimum-km rule punishes short routes.
Staff outings and airport batches
Fourteen colleagues to an offsite, or a project team arriving on one flight. Corporate bookings go on a monthly reconciled invoice rather than fourteen individual receipts.
Need seventeen seats or more?
This site stops at 14+1, and not arbitrarily — it is where the Chennai market's own price class breaks. Operators here price 12+1, 13+1 and 14+1 as a single tier and start a higher tier at 17+1. For 17-seat and 20-seat tempo travellers, minibuses and coaches, our bus division at chennaibusrentals.com publishes its own rate card for that band. We do not quote 17+ seats here and that site does not quote cars here.
Questions we answer daily
What is the tempo traveller rent per km in Chennai?
₹21 to ₹25 a kilometre on outstation round trips against a 250 to 300 km daily minimum, and ₹24 to ₹27 on a one-way drop. Local package overage is ₹21 to ₹24 a kilometre. Driver bata is ₹700 to ₹800 a day on a round trip and ₹900 to ₹1,000 charged once on a drop.
What does a 14 seater tempo traveller cost for one day in Chennai?
₹4,800 to ₹5,600 for 8 hours and 80 km, ₹4,800 to ₹7,000 for 10 hours and 100 km, and ₹6,500 to ₹7,500 for 12 hours and 120 km. Across fourteen passengers an eight-hour day works out at roughly ₹400 a head before tax, which is why groups keep choosing it.
Is a 12 seater cheaper than a 14 seater in Chennai?
No. The Chennai market prices 12+1, 13+1 and 14+1 as one tier, which is exactly why this site's capacity boundary sits at 14. If a quote shows you a 12-seater priced higher than a 15-seater on the same route — and at least one aggregator currently does, at ₹13,257 against ₹8,638 — you are looking at an algorithm, not a price.
Do you have a 17 seater tempo traveller?
Not on this site. 17+1, 18+1 and 20+1 tempo travellers, minibuses and coaches are handled by our bus division at chennaibusrentals.com, which publishes its own rate card for that band. The break at 14 and 17 seats follows the market's own pricing tiers, where 17+1 moves to a higher per-km rate and a higher bata.
How much luggage fits in a 14 seater tempo traveller?
Comfortably, about one medium bag per seat with the rear luggage area used properly — so 12 people with 12 bags is fine, while 14 people with 14 bags starts filling the aisle. For any multi-day trip over 300 km we suggest booking one seat class above your headcount.
Is there a hill charge for a tempo traveller to Ooty?
Yes, ₹500 as an MUV-class vehicle, charged once on the trip. The same ₹500 applies on Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Yelagiri and Kolli Hills runs. On a three-day Ooty round trip it is a small line beside the kilometre charge, but it is a real one and it appears on the quote rather than at the end.
Can a tempo traveller do an airport pickup in Chennai?
Yes, and it is the sensible choice for a group of 10 or more arriving together with hold luggage. It is quoted as a point-to-point transfer rather than against the ₹800 – 1,200 sedan or ₹1,200 – 2,500 SUV airport bands. The 10 minutes of free entry-to-exit time apply the same way, and we track the flight.
Are tempo traveller seats pushback or standard?
It varies by unit. Part of the fleet is pushback recliner seating with a walk-in aisle and overhead lockers, part is standard fixed seating with more rear luggage room. We tell you which you are getting at confirmation, and for trips over 300 km we steer you to pushback where it is available.
Related pages
- Full Chennai rate card Tempo traveller beside every car class
- Innova and Crysta When seven seats is genuinely enough
- Chennai to Tirupati cab The commonest group run
- Mahabalipuram day trip Better as a 12-hour package
- Chennai to Kodaikanal cab Hill charge and multi-day bata
- Corporate and staff transport Groups on a monthly invoice
- Chennai to Velankanni taxi Group pilgrimage economics
Send the trip. Get the whole number back.
Pickup, date, vehicle, passengers. A written all-in price on WhatsApp, usually inside 30 minutes, 6 am to 11 pm. No advance needed for a quote.