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Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure

What they do

Drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage. May assist passengers with baggage. May collect fares or tickets.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $59,050 Median per year · $28.39/hr Most earn $40,030–$84,700

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Park vehicles at loading areas so that passengers can board.
  • Collect tickets or cash fares from passengers.
  • Report delays or accidents.
  • Read maps to plan bus routes.
  • Maintain cleanliness of bus or motor coach.
  • Announce stops to passengers.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 21,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals53.8%
  • Urban transit systems17.1%
  • Charter bus industry7.9%
  • Interurban and rural bus transportation5.5%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals5.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 3 to 6 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 3 to 6 monthsEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. Many people start within a few months of finishing high school, usually after earning a commercial driver's license (CDL) and gaining a few months of driving experience. Your results page and the career page show typical pay near you and nationally.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school is the basic requirement, and it builds the reading, math, and customer-service skills you'll use every day on a bus.

  2. Commercial driver's license (CDL) training with passenger endorsement

    1-3 months

    Most transit and intercity bus companies require a CDL, and a passenger endorsement lets you carry riders. Training programs and written and road tests vary by state, so check your state's requirements.

  3. School Bus Driver

    3-6 months

    Many people get their first real driving experience driving a school bus, which teaches safe handling of a large vehicle and working with the public. This is one common route, not a requirement.

  4. Bus Driver, Transit and Intercity

    Ongoing

    You drive scheduled city routes or long-distance coach trips, follow safety rules, collect fares, and help passengers. Experience and a clean driving record help you get hired.

Where it can lead

  1. Dispatcher

    2-4 years of experience first

    Dispatchers track buses, handle schedule changes and emergencies, and communicate with drivers by radio. It usually takes strong knowledge of routes and good calm judgment under pressure.

  2. Transit Supervisor

    3-5 years of experience first

    Supervisors oversee a group of drivers, check on service quality, and handle complaints and driver training. Strong safety records, reliability, and communication skills help you move into this role.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and English classes seriouslyReading schedules, handling fare and time calculations, and writing clear reports are part of the job.
  • Get a part-time job that involves customersWorking in a store or restaurant builds the patience and friendliness that bus drivers need every day.
  • Volunteer with a local transit or community groupHelping riders or events shows you can be dependable and work well with many kinds of people.
  • Learn basic safety and first-aid skillsMany schools and community groups offer first-aid or CPR courses, which help with the safety focus of driving passengers.
  • Ask a licensed driver about their jobTalking with a bus, truck, or school bus driver can show you what a typical day looks like and whether it suits you.

In college

  • Take a driver safety or defensive driving courseCompleting a safety course shows employers you take road safety seriously and can help you learn rules before you start training.
  • Work a part-time job in customer service or transportationJobs at a restaurant, store, or transit agency build the people skills and reliability that employers look for.
  • Get a learner's permit and start CDL prepOnce you meet your state's age and health rules, starting the permit process early can put you ahead when you apply for CDL training.
  • Join a student club focused on transportation or safetyClubs in areas like logistics or emergency response can teach teamwork and show you how transit systems run.
  • Consider a transportation or logistics courseCommunity college classes in transportation or logistics can help you understand how routes, schedules, and dispatch work, which helps if you want to move up later.

Tips for getting started

  • Check your state's CDL rules early, since the permit and testing steps can take time to schedule.
  • Keep a clean driving record and avoid tickets. Employers look closely at driving history for this job.
  • Look for customer-service experience, like a part-time retail or food job, because bus drivers deal with the public all day.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Ground Transportation Certificate: typical pay 1 year after finishing $48,327 a year · typical debt $6,365

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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