How to hire a bus aide

How to hire a bus aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bus aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bus aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bus aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a bus aide, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect bus aide also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of bus aides and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Bus Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Bus Aide	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.	$10-15
   School Bus Monitor	A school bus monitor works closely with the bus driver to ensure safety while students are entering, riding, and leaving the bus. The bus monitor ensures discipline and assistance... Show more	$9-15
   School Bus Driver	A school bus driver is responsible for students' safe transportation during school days or any related events. Aside from ensuring that the students get to their destination on time, a school bus driver must ensure to abide by the traffic laws and regulations at all times and follow particular routes for picking-up and dropping off students... Show more	$14-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Rules
   • Kids
   • CPR
   • Seat Belts
   • Wheel Chair
   • Emergency Situations
   • Tie Downs
   • Indirect Supervision
   • Safety Regulations
   • Direct Supervision
   • Behavior Issues
   • Bus Route
   • Behavior Problems
   • Safety Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Attend all meetings, first aide, CPR classes when instruct.
   • Involve certification of CPR class, loading wheelchairs, and attending to safety of students while in transit
   • Help kids load on and off the bus, ensuring children are buckled in and sitting correctly in their seat.
   • Monitor kids and priority kids safety
   • Provide appropriate intervention in conflict situations according to ISS standards; notify principal or office when necessary.
   • Assist children on bus with ESE problems

   More bus aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bus aide job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A bus aide salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, bus aides' average salary in florida is 38% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level bus aides earn 31% less than senior-level bus aides.
   • Certifications. A bus aide with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a bus aide's salary.

   Average bus aide salary

   $13.13hourly

   $27,305 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level bus aide salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average bus aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$32,304	$16
   2	New York	$31,003	$15
   3	New Jersey	$30,963	$15
   4	California	$29,991	$14
   5	Minnesota	$29,108	$14
   6	Wisconsin	$27,620	$13
   7	Ohio	$27,170	$13
   8	Michigan	$27,116	$13
   9	Arizona	$26,781	$13
   10	South Dakota	$26,369	$13
   11	Illinois	$26,245	$13
   12	Idaho	$26,032	$13
   13	Missouri	$25,617	$12
   14	Kansas	$25,420	$12
   15	Texas	$24,830	$12

   Average bus aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$32,073	$15.42	8
   2	Humboldt School District	$27,901	$13.41	10
   3	Flour Bluff ISD	$27,897	$13.41	8
   4	Buffalo Schools	$27,824	$13.38	2
   5	Morton High School	$27,807	$13.37	11
   6	Delaware County	$27,741	$13.34	2
   7	Tracy Unified School District	$27,610	$13.27	4
   8	Weld RE-4 School District	$27,458	$13.20	2
   9	Brooklyn Center Community Schools	$27,319	$13.13
   10	First Student	$27,227	$13.09	1,106
   11	First Transit	$27,173	$13.06
   12	Bruce Transportation Group	$26,989	$12.98
   13	Wisconsin Youth	$26,969	$12.97
   14	Cave Creek Unified School District	$26,957	$12.96	2
   15	Spencer Owen Community High	$26,951	$12.96
   16	Paramus Public Schools	$26,868	$12.92	15
   17	Springfield Local School District	$26,863	$12.91
   18	Grandville Public Schools	$26,568	$12.77	3
   19	CenClear	$26,559	$12.77
   20	MV Transportation	$26,544	$12.76	12

4. Writing a bus aide job description

   A bus aide job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a bus aide job description:

   Bus aide job description example

   Plainview, TX
   
   Sign ON bonus eligible & Relocation Incentive eligible
   
   Effective January 3, 2022, all CPLC Employees and all Service Providers, are required to be Fully Vaccinated against COVID-19. Newly hired employees, who are not Fully Vaccinated at the time of hire, are expected to begin a vaccination series immediately upon hire. CPLC recognizes medical and religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, in accordance with applicable law and upon approval by CPLC. However, any person approved for an exemption, without exception, is subject to masking, weekly COVID-19 testing at their expense, and other requirements established by CPLC from time to time.
   
   POSITION SUMMARY
   
   The Bus Aide is responsible for assisting the Bus Driver/Facilities Custodian to ensure children observe CPLC Early Childhood Development (ECD) safety rules and regulation while traveling on the school bus. Provide educational activities which will complement the childrens classroom education. Provide clear and appropriate directives to children regarding conduct and safety on the school bus. Promoting school readiness by preparing children and families for school and life success as it relates to this position. Actively supervise children by sight and sound at all times and in all environments. Maintain all health and safety regulations to create an optimum learning environment. Facilitate health practices to keep children safe in the school bus, outdoor and indoor environments.
   
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
   
   High School Diploma/GED is required; however, CDA is preferred. Applicant must have at least six months experience and/or training with children ages 0-5 is preferred. Good communication skills both written and verbal. Ability to follow through on assigned tasks. Relate positively and clearly with children, parents, volunteers, and staff. Demonstrate basic computer literacy and skills. Bilingual English/ Spanish preferred. A valid Texas Drivers License free of restrictions is preferred for the successful candidate hired for centers located in Texas, and a valid New Mexico Driver's License free of restrictions is preferred for the successful candidate hired for centers located in New Mexico.
   
   Complete job description attached.
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find bus aides for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bus aide job on Zippia to find and recruit bus aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting bus aides requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bus aide

   Once you've found the bus aide candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new bus aide. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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