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.

Bus Driver Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real bus driver resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Demonstrate knowledge of designate routes in metro area.
  • Provide transportation for city of buffalo residents by driving metro city bus.
  • Work as the employee trainer for CDL's as well as performed orientation for all new employees.
  • Drive on narrow streets, in high traffic areas, around trolleys, and heavy pedestrian areas.
  • Operate a bus carrying passengers in accordance with the rules and regulation of the MTA bus company.
  • Help riders with wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and other conditions board and exit the bus safely.
  • Assist in the boarding of passengers using wheelchairs or other mobility aids and properly secure wheelchairs and scooters.
  • Pick up and deliver students safely, follow policies and procedures, obey all dot regulations, professional environment.
  • Participate in a health awareness group at MTA and run a 5k with different organizations to improve health wellness.
  • Assist in implementing behavioral goals set by students, families, school staff, and as stated in the IEP.
  • Meet with teachers/ school administration/parents regarding student's behavior and create safety plans as part of the student's IEP.
  • Train to perform emergency first aid on passengers, including CPR when require and in accordance with company policies and procedures.
  • Transport clients to non-emergency appointments, rehabilitation and hospitals.
  • Participate in a health awareness group at MTA and run a 5k with different organizations to improve health wellness.

Bus Driver Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 26% of Bus Drivers are proficient in CDL, DOT, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Patience, and Hand-eye coordination.

We break down the percentage of Bus Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CDL, 26%

    Received Certified Driver's License (CDL) - Class B with a P & S endorsement, no restriction.

  • DOT, 9%

    Perform daily maintenance check and operational inspection of assigned vehicle according to DOT regulations.

  • Customer Service, 9%

    Provided administrative support to school staff while demonstrating superior customer service to students and external client.

  • Safety Rules, 8%

    Maintained order and executed safety rules, including evacuating buses in emergencies and instructing passengers of safety rules.

  • CPR, 6%

    Bus Driver, provided transportation to and from school for developmentally disabled individuals, wheelchair lift operation, CPR Certified.

  • Passenger Endorsement, 6%

    Drive students to and from school I have air brakes endorsement passenger endorsement school bus endorsement and tanker endorsement Class b license

"cdl," "dot," and "customer service" aren't the only skills we found bus drivers list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of bus driver responsibilities that we found, including:

  • The most important skills for a bus driver to have in this position are customer-service skills. In this excerpt that we gathered from a bus driver resume, you'll understand why: "bus drivers regularly interact with passengers and must be courteous and helpful." According to resumes we found, customer-service skills can be used by a bus driver in order to "drive safely and obey all traffic laws while maintaining all guest in bus in order and happy. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform bus driver duties is the following: patience. According to a bus driver resume, "because of possible traffic congestion and sometimes unruly passengers, bus drivers are put in stressful situations and must remain calm and continue to operate their bus." Check out this example of how bus drivers use patience: "provide excellent customer service and patience with all passengers. "
  • Hand-eye coordination is also an important skill for bus drivers to have. This example of how bus drivers use this skill comes from a bus driver resume, "driving a bus requires the controlled use of multiple limbs on the basis of what a person observes" Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "provided administrative services and coordination for the activities of the public transportation system, which includes fixed-route bus"
  • A bus driver responsibilities sometimes require "physical health." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "federal and state regulations do not allow people to become bus drivers if they have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or epilepsy, which may interfere with their operation of a bus" This resume example shows how this skill is used by bus drivers: "maintain a safe and healthy environment transport student to safely transport student to school drive through traffic and obey traffic laws. "
  • Yet another important skill that a bus driver must demonstrate is "visual ability." Bus drivers must be able to pass vision tests This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a bus driver who stated: "performed visual inspections and reported any mechanical problems or defects. "
  • See the full list of bus driver skills.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious bus drivers are:

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    What Coach Operators Do

    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. Their duties and responsibilities include directing students on pick-up and drop-off points and facilitating communication between management and parents.

    We looked at the average bus driver annual salary and compared it with the average of a coach operator. Generally speaking, coach operators receive $7,733 higher pay than bus drivers per year.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between bus drivers and coach operators are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like cdl, dot, and customer service.

    There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a bus driver responsibilities require skills like "cpr," "transport children," "safety equipment," and "windshield wipers." Meanwhile a typical coach operator has skills in areas such as "incident reports," "transportation services," "direct reports," and "defensive driving." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

    Coach operators really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $62,006. Whereas bus drivers tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $37,869.

    The education levels that coach operators earn is a bit different than that of bus drivers. In particular, coach operators are 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a bus driver. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a School Bus Monitor?

    A Bus Attendant performs a variety of support tasks to ensure that passengers get to receive optimal services. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or industry of employment, it typically revolves around answering questions about bus routes and other services, directing passengers on and off the bus, assisting passengers with special or particular needs, adjusting seats, and handling documents. Bus Attendants must prepare and hand out refreshments, distribute blankets or pillows, and operate wheelchair lifts.

    Next up, we have the school bus monitor profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a bus driver annual salary. In fact, school bus monitors salary difference is $10,175 lower than the salary of bus drivers per year.

    While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both bus drivers and school bus monitors are known to have skills such as "cdl," "customer service," and "safety rules. "

    But both careers also use different skills, according to real bus driver resumes. While bus driver responsibilities can utilize skills like "dot," "passenger endorsement," "vehicle inspections," and "post-trip inspections," some school bus monitors use skills like "behavior problems," "bus safety," "kids," and "behavior issues."

    On average, school bus monitors earn a lower salary than bus drivers. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, school bus monitors earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $28,331. Whereas, bus drivers have higher paychecks in the education industry where they earn an average of $37,869.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, school bus monitors tend to reach similar levels of education than bus drivers. In fact, they're 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a School Bus Operator Compares

    The school bus operator profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of bus drivers. The difference in salaries is school bus operators making $291 higher than bus drivers.

    By looking over several bus drivers and school bus operators resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "cdl," "dot," and "safety rules." But beyond that the careers look very different.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from bus drivers resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "vehicle inspections," "mechanical problems," and "local traffic regulations." But a school bus operator might have skills like "dmv," "safety standards," "traffic regulations," and "clean vehicle."

    School bus operators typically study at similar levels compared with bus drivers. For example, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Bus Attendant

    Bus attendants tend to earn a lower pay than bus drivers by about $9,492 per year.

    According to resumes from both bus drivers and bus attendants, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "safety rules," "cpr," and "safety procedures. "

    While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "cdl," "dot," "customer service," and "passenger endorsement" are skills that have shown up on bus drivers resumes. Additionally, bus attendant uses skills like cleanliness, seat belts, incident reports, and behavior problems on their resumes.

    Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The transportation industry tends to pay more for bus attendants with an average of $27,326. While the highest bus driver annual salary comes from the education industry.

    In general, bus attendants reach similar levels of education when compared to bus drivers resumes. Bus attendants are 1.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What a Bus Driver Does FAQs

    How Many Hours Does A Bus Driver Work?

    Full-time bus drivers are guaranteed forty working hours per week. Part-time bus drivers are guaranteed at least twenty hours per week, but they often may have the option to work more. Bus drivers work shift work, and full-time bus drivers often work 5 eight hour shifts in one week.

    What Do Bus Drivers Do On A Daily Basis?

    Bus drivers inspect their vehicles, drive their routes, and complete paperwork on a daily basis. Here are some details on the daily activities of a bus driver:

    • Inspect their vehicles.Bus drivers must conduct and complete a thorough inspection of their bus on a daily basis. This includes checking warning and signal lights, tire pressure, fluid levels, brakes, and more. Bus drivers must also review weather conditions for the day to determine how they may affect the safety of their drive. Some bus drivers must follow specific checklists laid out by their company.

    • Drive their routes.Bus drivers must drive and complete their scheduled routes each day. This includes making sure to stop in the correct locations to let passengers on and off, as well as monitoring traffic and drive time to ensure they meet a schedule that is typically predetermined by their employer.

    • Complete paperwork.After finishing their routes, bus drivers must complete daily paperwork. This paperwork could include a review of the day's routes, any notable issues that occurred, steps taken to fix the issues, as well as a final safety check. Specific requirements may vary based on a bus driver's company and location.

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