Post job

How to hire a bus monitor

Bus monitor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring bus monitors in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a bus monitor is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per bus monitor on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 17,729 bus monitors in the US and 11,422 job openings.
  • Shepherdsville, KY, has the highest demand for bus monitors, with 5 job openings.
  • Rochester, NY has the highest concentration of bus monitors.

How to hire a bus monitor, step by step

To hire a bus monitor, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a bus monitor, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step bus monitor 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 monitor job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bus monitor
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a bus monitor do?

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.

Learn more about the specifics of what a bus monitor does
jobs
Post a bus monitor job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The bus monitor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a bus monitor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a bus monitor that fits the bill.

    This list presents bus monitor salaries for various positions.

    Type of Bus MonitorDescriptionHourly rate
    Bus MonitorBus 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 DriverA 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
    Bus AttendantA 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... Show more$10-15
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Behavior Problems
    • Kids
    • CPR
    • Safety Rules
    • Seat Belts
    • Safety Regulations
    • Emergency Situations
    • Tie Downs
    • Medical Problems
    • Evacuation Procedures
    • Bus Route
    • Walkers
    • Bus Safety
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Seat students safely using need seat belts, car seats or wheel chair restraints, etc.
    • Seat students safely using need seat belts, and if applicable wheel chair restraints, etc.
    • Enroll in CDL training classes.
    • Assist children on bus with ESE problems
    • Secure and ensure clients safety via wheelchair or walk ons.
    • maintain records of Pre and post inspection of school bus.
    More bus monitor duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your bus monitor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A bus monitor can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, bus monitors' average salary in florida is 38% less than in washington.
    • Seniority. Entry-level bus monitors 36% less than senior-level bus monitors.
    • Certifications. A bus monitor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a bus monitor's salary.

    Average bus monitor salary

    $12.96hourly

    $26,958 yearly

    Entry-level bus monitor salary
    $21,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 20, 2025

    Average bus monitor salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$31,673$15
    2Connecticut$31,249$15
    3New York$30,965$15
    4Oregon$30,308$15
    5New Jersey$29,011$14
    6Illinois$28,976$14
    7Pennsylvania$28,274$14
    8Arizona$28,253$14
    9Idaho$27,525$13
    10Ohio$26,446$13
    11Kansas$26,173$13
    12Missouri$25,154$12
    13Oklahoma$24,260$12
    14Texas$23,298$11

    Average bus monitor salary by company

  4. Writing a bus monitor job description

    A good bus monitor job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a bus monitor job description:

    Bus monitor job description example

    SUBSTITUTE BUS MONITOR/ $13.25/hour


    Bus Monitor responsibilities:

    REPORTS TO: Director Transportation and/or Supervisor

    SUPERVISES: N/A

    JOB FUNCTION: Assist school bus driver in maintaining discipline while bus

    is in operation; maintain proper records and documentation; assist student loading,

    unloading and seating arrangements as required.

    DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES:

     Assist the bus driver in maintaining discipline on school bus; monitor and assist

    students while bus is in operation.

     Consult with and assist bus driver in documentation of student information, record

    keeping and completing route surveys.

     Assist driver in assuring seat belts, harnesses and wheel chair clamps are secured

    as required.

     Assist parents and school personnel with safe loading and unloading of students;

    coordinate seating of pre-kindergarten students as required by State Transportation

    Guidelines.

     Communicate with classroom aides, teachers, principals, and parents concerning

    student background, medical problems and behavior as appropriate.

     Maintain current knowledge of Emergency Evacuation procedures and assist in the

    evacuation plan.

     Assist handicapped children on and off the bus and escort children across street

    upon return home; lift children as required; assure responsible adult meets students

    leaving the bus.

     Attend in-service meetings and training courses as assigned.

     Perform other duties as assigned.

     Maintain regular attendance.

     Mandatory reporting of any incidents to the Director of Transportation/designee.

    KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

    KNOWLEDGE OF:

     Safe practices concerning school bus transportation.

     Basic record-keeping techniques.

     Health and safety regulations.

    ABILITY TO:

     Maintain proper records and documentation.

     Assist student loading, unloading and seating arrangements as required.

     Understand and relate to children with special needs.

     Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.


    It is the policy of the MSD Decatur Township not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs or employment policies as required by the Indiana Civil Rights Act (I.C. 22-9.1), Title VI and VII (Civil Rights Act of 1964), the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX (Educational Amendments), and Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973).

  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right bus monitor for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your bus monitor job on Zippia to find and recruit bus monitor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting bus monitors 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.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 monitor

    Once you have selected a candidate for the bus monitor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new bus monitor. 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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a bus monitor?

There are different types of costs for hiring bus monitors. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new bus monitor employee.

You can expect to pay around $26,958 per year for a bus monitor, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for bus monitors in the US typically range between $10 and $15 an hour.

Find better bus monitors in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring bus monitors FAQs

Search for bus monitor jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse transportation jobs