Bus Driver: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a bus driver?

Having regular bus drivers on staff can help your existing team and bottom line. Hiring full-time rather than contract drivers can help your business:

• Execute your route schedule with increased accuracy
• With dependable drivers, you can present a positive image of your company
• Develop a reputation for safely delivering passengers to their destinations

What are the titles of bus drivers?

When searching for a bus driver, it’s important to understand the types of available jobs. Schools, airports, malls, car rental agencies and other companies employ bus drivers to transport passengers and cargo to their destinations. These are bus drivers’ most common job titles:

• School bus driver: School bus drivers are responsible for transporting students to and from school. They may also drive students to field trips, sports matches or other extracurricular activities.
• Local transit bus driver: Provides transportation along regular routes assigned by a local transit authority, picking up passengers at designated stops. They collect bus fares and uphold regulations.
• Intercity bus driver: Provides intercity transport and may cross state lines. Curbside pickup and drop-off locations are typically in downtown areas.
• Shuttle bus driver: Often transports passengers and their luggage to and from airports. Many college campuses also use shuttle buses to provide safe, reliable transportation from student dorms to both on- and off-campus destinations.
• Charter bus driver: Transports passengers on sightseeing tours and planned trips.

Where to find bus drivers

To find the right bus driver for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Use word of mouth. Talk to current drivers and see if they know someone who’d be interested in becoming a bus driver. Testimonials can highlight the benefits of the position.
• Network. Attend events hosted by the transportation industry, especially those that include fleet managers or owners of bus dealerships.
• Attend a local job fair. Securing a spot at a job fair allows you to conduct on-the-spot interviews with new talent to speed up the hiring process.
• Post ads in your community. Hang help wanted ads in community spaces (e.g., bulletin boards at churches, schools, libraries and parks) to attract viable candidates.
• Post your job online. Try posting your bus driver job on Indeed to find and attract quality bus driver candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Bus Driver

A great bus driver candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

Hard skills:
• CDL and carries appropriate licensure and insurances in your area
• Clean driving record
• Understanding of passenger safety protocols

Soft skills:
• A healthy lifestyle to promote safe and attentive driving
• Clean appearance and customer-centric attitude
• A calm and patient driving style

Writing a bus driver job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding qualified bus driver candidates. A bus driver job description includes a compelling summary of the role, the route areas, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your bus driver job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on bus driver jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Bus driver
• Driver
• School bus driver
• Shuttle driver
• Hiring immediately
• Class B driver
• Transportation
• CDL driver
• Bus operator
• Driving

Interviewing bus driver candidates

Strong candidates for bus driver positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Familiarity with roads and traffic patterns in route areas
• Full- or part-time availability

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of bus driver interview questions for examples (with sample answers).