minibus

IPA/ˈmɪnibʌs/
KK[mˈɪnibˌʌs]IPA/ˈmɪnibʌs/

minibus — noun

  • minibussingular
  • minibusesplural

1. a motor vehicle with enough room for roughly ten to twelve people, designed for

1.nounB1
Definition

a motor vehicle with enough room for roughly ten to twelve people, designed for short group trips such as airport transfers or school outings

Example

The school hired a minibus to take the children to the museum.

collocation: hire/rent a minibus

A minibus arrived at the hotel entrance to collect the tour group.

Common collocations
  • hire a minibus
  • rent a minibus
  • drive a minibus
  • a twelve-seat minibus
  • minibus driver
  • minibus service
  • minibus tour
  • by minibus
  • on a minibus
  • a private minibus
  • a school minibus
Synonyms
  • minivan

    a smaller vehicle, typically seating seven or eight people, more like a van with windows

  • shuttle bus

    a bus (often a minibus) that travels back and forth on a short fixed route

  • small bus

    a more general, informal term for any bus shorter than a standard city bus

Antonyms
  • coach

    a large bus designed for long-distance travel, seating thirty or more people

Grammar Patterns

by + minibus

a + number-seat + minibus

Usage Note

People often describe a minibus by its seating capacity with a hyphenated number prefix, for example, 'a fifteen-seat minibus.' The plural form 'minibuses' is standard.

Common Mistakes

The hotel has a small minibus that seats twenty people.
The hotel has a minibus that seats twelve people.
Minibuses typically seat ten to twelve passengers; a vehicle seating twenty is usually called a midibus or a small coach.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Minibus, minivan, shuttle bus, and coach are all vehicles for transporting groups, but each serves a different purpose. A minibus seats about ten to twelve passengers and works well for short trips like airport transfers or school outings. A minivan is smaller (seven to eight seats) and functions more as a family vehicle than a hired group transporter. A shuttle bus follows a regular route—often between a hotel and an airport—and may be a minibus or a full-size bus depending on demand. A coach is much larger, seating thirty or more people, and is designed for long-distance travel rather than short hops. For example, a family sightseeing in the city might rent a minibus, while a sports team traveling between cities would book a coach.

minivan ↗shuttle buscoach ↗small bus

Common collocations

Nouns

  • minibus driver
  • minibus service
  • minibus hire
  • minibus tour
  • minibus route

Phrases

  • a fleet of minibuses
  • minibus and coach hire

Prepositions

  • by minibus
  • on a minibus
  • in a minibus
  • off a minibus

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Minibus is formed by combining the prefix mini-, meaning 'small,' with bus. Bus itself is a shortened form of omnibus, a Latin word meaning 'for all,' which was used in the 1800s for horse-drawn public carriages that carried anyone who paid a fare. The word minibus first appeared in English in the mid-1900s as motorized vans fitted with extra seats became common for group travel.