Bus Driver
Bus Driver
Career Overview
Bus drivers safely transport passengers to schools, workplaces, airports, communities, and destinations along local or long-distance routes. Today's drivers use GPS navigation, digital dispatch systems, electronic fare and ticketing technology, onboard cameras, accessibility equipment, and increasingly connected and electric buses.
Education
A high school diploma or equivalent is generally a starting point, followed by the appropriate commercial driver's licence and specialized driver training. Requirements vary by location and type of bus, and employers may provide additional training in passenger safety, accessibility, defensive driving, emergency procedures, and vehicle technology. In the U.S., bus drivers typically need a commercial driver's license with the appropriate passenger endorsement; in Canada, licensing requirements vary by province or territory.
Work Environment
Bus drivers spend most of their working day on the road and interact with passengers from many backgrounds. Schedules can include early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, split shifts, and, for some intercity drivers, overnight travel. Modern buses are increasingly equipped with GPS, cameras, digital communications, automated passenger information, accessibility systems, and electric-vehicle technology.
Future Outlook
Bus transportation remains important as communities expand public transit, improve accessibility, and invest in newer transportation systems. Technology is changing how buses operate through real-time tracking, automated dispatch, electric and low-emission buses, driver-assistance systems, and connected fleet technology, but skilled drivers remain essential for safety, passenger service, and handling situations that technology cannot manage on its own.
Recommended High School Courses
- Psychology
- Communication
- English
- Physical fitness
- Auto tech
- Computer Studies
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Glare Sensitivity - The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting.
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Night Vision - The ability to see under low light conditions.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Peripheral Vision - The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Spatial Orientation - The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Drive passenger vehicles.
- Follow safety procedures for vehicle operation.
- Inspect motor vehicles.
- Measure the level or depth of water or other liquids.
- Provide transportation information to passengers or customers.
- Provide customers with general information or assistance.
- Assist passengers during vehicle boarding.
- Collect fares or payment from customers.
- Assist others during emergencies.
- Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
- Read maps to determine routes.
- Assist customers to ensure comfort or safety.
- Record operational or production data.
- Record sales or transactions data.
- Clean vehicles or vehicle components.
- Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
- Maintain vehicles in good working condition.
Schools
Potential Scholarships
Approx Salary Expectation
References
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.