# Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bus-drivers-transit-and-intercity
- SOC code: 53-3052.00
- Career family: Transportation
- Median annual pay: $59,050 (10th percentile $40,030, 90th percentile $84,700)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.1%
- Openings a year: 21,100
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 83 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 43 |
| Enterprising (E) | 30 |
| Conventional (C) | 62 |

## What you'd do

- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 93/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 80/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 79/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 78/100)
- Getting Information (importance 75/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 71/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 71/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 71/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 64/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 63/100)

## 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

## 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

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Ground Transportation](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4902) (CIP 4902, 213 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Ground Transportation | $54,938 | $62,389 | $12,000 |

## Related careers

- [Taxi Drivers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/taxi-drivers): $42,100 median pay
- [Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/shuttle-drivers-and-chauffeurs): $37,290 median pay
- [Subway and Streetcar Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/subway-and-streetcar-operators): $86,380 median pay
- [Bus Drivers, School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bus-drivers-school): $47,920 median pay
- [School Bus Monitors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/school-bus-monitors): $35,100 median pay
- [Passenger Attendants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/passenger-attendants): $37,720 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.