If you are an independent self-starter who likes working with people, consider choosing a career as a bus driver. Bus drivers transport people to a variety of locations including work, school and to recreational activities. The work can be routine, as when
If you are an independent self-starter who likes working with people, consider choosing a career as a bus driver. Bus drivers transport people to a variety of locations including work, school and to recreational activities. The work can be routine, as when the route is the same every day, or it can be varied, as for example, if you are employed by sightseeing or chartered bus companies.
Bus drivers need a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency, a commercial driver's license, and adequate vision and hearing, according to the Bureau of labor Statistics 2010 report. CDL requirements are regulated by the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state in which you reside. In Pennsylvania, for example, you have to pass a knowledge test and then the DMV issues you a learner's permit, valid for up to one year from when it was issued. Once you pass the road test, a permanent CDL authorizing you to drive a bus is granted.
You can earn good pay as a bus driver. As of 2010, the median yearly salary for transit and intercity bus drivers was $35,520, according to the BLS. The median salary for school bus drivers was lower, at $27,580. Bus drivers working for local governments had the highest median yearly salary at $43,860, followed by urban transit systems at $30,620. Some employers do not pay nearly as well, as bus drivers in the lowest 10 percent earned less than $16,930 a year.
While specific benefits for each job vary, bus drivers working even part-time often are eligible for health insurance, life, dental and retirement benefits, which are typically reserved for full time employees in other professions. Most bus drivers working for the State of Minnesota, for example, receive full health insurance and sick leave. Bus drivers working a minimum of 25 hours a week in Fairfax County, Virginia, receive full medical, dental, retirement and life insurance benefits.
Seven percent of all bus drivers surveyed in 2010 by the BLS had variable schedules and 30 percent worked part time. While school bus driving is typically 