SOC 53-3052.00

    Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

    Drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage.

    Median pay
    $59,050
    Growth
    +4.1%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    21,100
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $40,030
    Median
    $59,050
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $84,700
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    159,240 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Transit and intercity bus drivers operate buses and motor coaches for regular routes, charters, and private trips. This career employs 159,240 people and offers a median annual pay of $59,050, with opportunities to assist passengers and manage fares.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What bus drivers, transit and intercity do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage. May assist passengers with baggage. May collect fares or tickets.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career primarily focus on operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment to transport passengers safely. Daily tasks involve driving buses along designated routes or charter paths, inspecting equipment to ensure the vehicle is safe, and collecting fares or tickets. Drivers must work directly with the public, which requires strong skills in active listening, service orientation, and social perceptiveness. They also communicate regularly with supervisors and peers to report issues or coordinate schedules.

    Success in this role relies on realistic interests and specific work styles like dependability, cautiousness, self-control, and stress tolerance. Drivers need a solid understanding of transportation systems, public safety, security, and customer service. They must monitor their surroundings constantly, make quick decisions, and solve problems on the road. Managing time effectively and maintaining attention to detail are crucial for keeping buses on schedule while ensuring passenger safety.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, candidates typically need a high school diploma. This occupation is classified as requiring some preparation, meaning most drivers gain the necessary skills through on-the-job training or previous experience. Relevant college majors that align with this career include ground transportation.

    Depending on the location, some states list a license for this work. Additionally, drivers may pursue professional credentials to enhance their career prospects, such as the Certified Public Fleet Professional certification offered by the American Public Works Association.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for transit and intercity bus drivers is $59,050. Earnings can vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $40,030 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $84,700.

    Employment in this field is projected to grow by 4.1 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Job seekers can expect about 21,100 openings each year during this period.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    83 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    0 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    43 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    30 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    62 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    93
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    80
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    79
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    78
    Getting Information
    75
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    71
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    71
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    71
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    64
    Training and Teaching Others
    63
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operation and Control
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Service Orientation
    • Time Management
    • Monitoring
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Judgment and Decision Making

    Knowledge

    • Transportation
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • English Language
    • Law and Government
    • Administration and Management
    • Telecommunications
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Education and Training
    • Administrative

    Abilities

    • Far Vision
    • Control Precision
    • Depth Perception
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Reaction Time
    • Response Orientation
    • Spatial Orientation
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Rate Control

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Self-Control
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Integrity
    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Empathy

    Also called

    Bus Driver · Bus Operator · CDL Bus Driver (Commercial Driver's License Bus Driver) · Charter Bus Driver · Charter Coach Driver · Charter Driver · City Bus Driver · Coach Operator · Courtesy Bus Driver · Day Haul Charter Bus Driver

    Career pathway

    From your interests to bus drivers, transit and intercity

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$59,050 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      Pennsylvania College of Technology

      Williamsport, PA · Ground Transportation · Associate

      1 yr after
      $54,938
      4 yrs after
      $62,389
      Median debt
      $12,000

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What bus drivers, transit and intercity may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    53 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about bus drivers, transit and intercity

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are the common job titles for this career?

    Workers in this field are known by several titles, including bus operator, charter coach driver, city bus driver, and coach operator. They may also be called courtesy bus drivers or CDL bus drivers.

    What is the job outlook for transit and intercity bus drivers?

    Employment is expected to grow by 4.1 percent between 2025 and 2035. This rate of growth is considered as fast as average, resulting in an estimated 21,100 job openings each year.

    What certifications or licenses are related to this job?

    Some states list a license for this type of transportation work. Drivers can also seek the Certified Public Fleet Professional credential from the American Public Works Association.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.