Local transit bus drivers: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Local transit bus drivers follow a daily schedule while transporting people on regular routes along city or suburban streets. They stop frequently, often every few blocks and when a passenger requests a stop. Local transit drivers typically do the following:
- Collect bus fares or manage fare box transactions
- Answer questions about schedules, routes, and transfer points
- Report accidents and other traffic disruptions to a central dispatcher
- Education Required
- Most employers prefer drivers to have a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Training Required
- Bus drivers typically go through 1 to 3 months of training, but those who already possess a CDL license may have a shorter training period. Part of the training is spent on a driving course, where drivers practice various maneuvers with a bus. They then begin to drive in light traffic and eventually make practice runs on the type of route that they expect to drive. New drivers make regularly scheduled trips with passengers and are accompanied by an experienced driver who gives helpful tips, answers questions, and evaluates the new driver's performance.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 6% (As fast as average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
- All bus drivers must have a commercial drivers license (CDL). Some new bus drivers can earn their CDL during on-the-job training. The qualifications for getting one vary by state but generally include passing both knowledge and driving tests. States have the right not to issue a license to someone who has had a CDL suspended by another state.
- Median pay: How much do Bus Drivers make?
- $31,920 Annual Salary
- $15.35 per hour
Careers for Bus Drivers
- Charter bus drivers
- Charter coach drivers
- Drivers, bus
- Drivers, charter bus
- Drivers, charter coach
- Drivers, intercity bus
- Drivers, motor coach
- Drivers, motor coach tour
- Drivers, public transit
- Drivers, school bus
- Drivers, special education
- Drivers, trolley
- Intercity bus drivers
- Motor coach bus drivers
- Motor coach drivers
- Motor coach tour drivers
- Public transit bus drivers
- Public transit trolley drivers
- School bus drivers
- School bus operators
- Special education bus drivers