Bus Drivers, School
US occupation · SOC 53-3051
Job titles people report: Bus Drive Coordinator, Bus Driver Route Coordinator, CDL Bus Driver (Commercial Driver's License Bus Driver), Public School Bus Driver, School Bus Driver, School Van Driver, Shuttle Bus Driver, SPED Bus Driver (Special Education Bus Driver), SPED School Bus Driver (Special Education School Bus Driver), Student Driver
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $47,920
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $38,650 – $58,430
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 402,930
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +0.7%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 56,500
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Drive a school bus to transport students. Ensure adherence to safety rules. May assist students in boarding or exiting.
Main tasks
- Comply with traffic regulations to operate vehicles in a safe and courteous manner.
- Follow safety rules as students board and exit buses or cross streets near bus stops.
- Check the condition of a vehicle's tires, brakes, windshield wipers, lights, oil, fuel, water, and safety equipment to ensure that everything is in working order.
- Report any bus malfunctions or needed repairs.
- Pick up and drop off students at regularly scheduled neighborhood locations, following strict time schedules.
- Escort small children across roads and highways.
- Drive gasoline, diesel, or electrically powered multi-passenger vehicles to transport students between neighborhoods, schools, and school activities.
- Maintain order among students during trips to ensure safety.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 1–2
- Little to some preparation
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Social: helping, teaching and caring for people
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Transportation and Materials Moving
- Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
$59,050 median · +4.1% projected
- Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs
$37,290 median · +7.1% projected
- Subway and Streetcar Operators
$86,380 median · +3.7% projected
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
$78,000 median · +0.9% projected
- Light Truck Drivers
$44,860 median · +6.3% projected
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
$50,340 median · -0.7% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk