Career
Bus drivers, school
Drive students to and from school safely.
$47,920
Median pay
+0.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
56,500
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Comply with traffic regulations to operate vehicles in a safe and courteous manner.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $47,920 a year and 56,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and InstructorCIP 49.0205
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- School Bus Monitors$35,100 · -1.9%
- Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$59,050 · +4.1%
- Taxi Drivers$42,100 · +11.5%
- Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$37,290 · +7.1%
- Subway and Streetcar Operators$86,380 · +3.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.