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Role hub · Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Bus Driver: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of bus drivers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$59,050
Hourly
$28.39
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Bus Drivers drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage. The median pay is $59,050 a year ($28.39 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (84% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$59,050
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
159,240
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 1-2 of 5
very little to some preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
84% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity (O*NET-SOC 53-3052.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Bus Drivers at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $59,050 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity” in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity” in the United States to grow 4.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 21,100 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 159,240 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Bus Drivers

SalaryBus Driver salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeBus Driver how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeBus Driver resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsBus Driver interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What bus drivers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Drive vehicles over specified routes or to specified destinations according to time schedules, complying with traffic regulations to ensure that passengers have a smooth and safe ride.
  2. Park vehicles at loading areas so that passengers can board.
  3. Inspect vehicles and check gas, oil, and water levels prior to departure.
  4. Announce stops to passengers.
  5. Assist passengers, such as elderly or individuals with disabilities, on and off bus, ensure they are seated properly, help carry baggage, and answer questions about bus schedules or routes.
  6. Collect tickets or cash fares from passengers.
  7. Handle passenger emergencies or disruptions.
  8. Report delays or accidents.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all bus driver jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals58.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $64,980
  2. Transit and ground passenger transportation34.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $53,920
  3. Scenic and sightseeing transportation1.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $51,230
  4. Administrative and support services0.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $50,820
  5. Educational services; state, local, and private0.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $47,200
  6. Social assistance0.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $47,850

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Operation and ControlcoreOperations MonitoringcoreService OrientationcoreTime ManagementActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSocial PerceptivenessSpeakingMonitoring

Knowledge areas: Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Law and Government.

Tools and technology

Software bus drivers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • AOL MapQuestMap creation software
  • Microsoft MapPointMap creation software
  • Microsoft WindowsOperating system softwareHot technology
  • Web browser softwareInternet browser software

Also called: Bus Operator, Charter Bus Driver, Coach Operator, Motor Coach Driver, Motor Coach Operator.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.