Bus drivers transport people between various places—including work, school, and shopping malls—and across state or national borders. Some drive regular routes, and others transport passengers on chartered trips or sightseeing tours.

Bus drivers, especially transit and intercity bus drivers, had a higher rate of work-related injuries and illnesses in 2014 than the national average. Most injuries to bus drivers were due to highway accidents.

Bus drivers must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). This can sometimes be earned during on-the-job training. A bus driver must possess a clean driving record and often may be required to pass a background check. They also must meet physical, hearing and vision requirements. In addition, bus drivers often need a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Employment of bus drivers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job opportunities for bus drivers should be favorable, especially for school bus drivers, as many drivers are expected to leave the occupation.

This occupation supported 654,200 jobs in 2012 and 665,100 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 1.7%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 8.9% in 2022 to 712,199 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 665,800, compared with an observed value of 665,100, 0.1% lower than expected. This indicates current employment trends are about on track with the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 5.7% in 2024 to 702,500 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 723,800 jobs for 2024, 3.0% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.