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The differences between bus drivers and bus monitors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bus driver has an average salary of $36,879, which is higher than the $26,958 average annual salary of a bus monitor.
The top three skills for a bus driver include CDL, DOT and customer service. The most important skills for a bus monitor are customer service, behavior problems, and kids.
| Bus Driver | Bus Monitor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,879 | $26,958 |
| Hourly rate | $17.73 | $12.96 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 359,229 | 11,422 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Average age | 58 | 58 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Bus drivers are mainly responsible for safely transporting passengers to their destinations. Bus drivers must be attentive and highly focused to monitor road situations at all times, avoiding any cause of accidents. A bus driver must also ensure to follow all safety policies and procedures during the travel. Bus drivers should also be knowledgeable in monitoring the engine's condition, spot any unusual signals and inconsistencies of the vehicle system that might compromise everyone's safety and comfortability.
A bus monitor is responsible for supervising students on school buses and coordinating with bus drivers, ensuring a safe transport service for everyone. They are in charge of monitoring the students' behavior, assisting the students with mobility issues, maintaining order, and enforcing the safety rules and policies. During a school or field trip, they also handle attendance sheets and execute roll calls to ensure no one is left behind. Moreover, there are also times when they must produce progress reports and coordinate with school administrators when addressing and resolving student conflicts.
Bus drivers and bus monitors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bus Driver | Bus Monitor | |
| Average salary | $36,879 | $26,958 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $21,000 And $33,000 |
| Highest paying City | Nashua, NH | Soledad, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Preston High School | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a bus driver and a bus monitor in terms of educational background:
| Bus Driver | Bus Monitor | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between bus drivers' and bus monitors' demographics:
| Bus Driver | Bus Monitor | |
| Average age | 58 | 58 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9% | Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.5% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |