Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Median salary

$59,050

Average salary

$60,280

Employment

159,240

Projected growth

4.3% growth

Annual openings

20,900

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Do

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

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 1.8%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Transportationimportance 4.5/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.0/5
English Languageimportance 3.4/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.1/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.8/5
Telecommunicationsimportance 2.8/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Spend Time Sitting4.8/5
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment4.6/5
Contact With Others4.5/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.5/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.3/5
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.2/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders92% skill match
Bus Drivers, School92% skill match
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service92% skill match
Slaughterers and Meat Packers91% skill match
Tire Builders91% skill match
Machine Feeders and Offbearers90% skill match
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers90% skill match
Couriers and Messengers90% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
Coordinationimportance 2.6/5
Persuasionimportance 2.5/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Microsoft Windows

Other Software Used

AOL MapQuest
Microsoft MapPoint
Web browser software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Self-Control
Cooperation
Attention to Detail
Stress Tolerance
Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
EnterprisingLow
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where bus drivers, transit and intercity make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).