Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RCS

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.

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

O*NET 53-3052.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $59,050; Middle half earn $47,530 to $70,700. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 84% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Park vehicles at loading areas so that passengers can board.
Inspect vehicles and check gas, oil, and water levels prior to departure.
Announce stops to passengers.
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.
Collect tickets or cash fares from passengers.
Handle passenger emergencies or disruptions.
Report delays or accidents.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Active Learning2.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Transportation4.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service4.3 / 5
Public Safety and Security4.0 / 5
English Language3.4 / 5
Law and Government3.1 / 5
Administration and Management2.8 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic83
Investigative0
Artistic0
Social43
Enterprising30
Conventional62

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

school bus attendant · DE Schulbusbegleiter · FR accompagnateur de bus scolaire/accompagnatrice de bus scolaire
bus driver · DE Omnibusfahrer/Omnibusfahrerin · FR conducteur d’autobus/conductrice d’autobus
trolley bus driver · DE Oberleitungsbusfahrer/Oberleitungsbusfahrerin · FR conducteur de trolleybus/conductrice de trolleybus
tram driver · DE Straßenbahnfahrer/Straßenbahnfahrerin · FR conducteur de tramway/conductrice de tramway

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Bus and coach drivers (8212)117,600 employed
Childminders (6114)42,900 employed
Nannies and au pairs (6116)22,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Japan

Japan classifies jobs in its own way. The closest category that names the same work is “バス運転者”, which may be narrower or broader than this occupation.

Median monthly pay: ¥257,900; Middle half earn ¥224,500 to ¥294,000 a month.
Workers in the category: 96,280; Regular employees in firms of ten or more.

Scheduled monthly pay before tax, excluding overtime and bonuses, so it is not comparable to the annual figures above. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025, via e-Stat, under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use. The category match was made by hand.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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