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The differences between bus operators and school bus drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school bus driver has an average salary of $37,607, which is higher than the $37,374 average annual salary of a bus operator.
The top three skills for a bus operator include transport passengers, CDL and safety rules. The most important skills for a school bus driver are vehicle inspections, customer service, and safety rules.
| Bus Operator | School Bus Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $37,374 | $37,607 |
| Hourly rate | $17.97 | $18.08 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 65,075 | 112,230 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Average age | 55 | 58 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Bus operators have different roles and responsibilities. These include providing bus driver training, ensuring all drivers have a valid license, and conducting an audit of the bus drivers' performance periodically. To accomplish these responsibilities, a bus operator should possess specific skills, including customer service skills, hearing ability, and hand-eye coordination. There are several qualifications to become a transit bus operator, including having a commercial driver's license, experience in a relevant job, or as a bus operator.
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. Furthermore, a school bus driver must ensure students' safety at all times by conducting daily bus maintenance and maintaining order inside the vehicle.
Bus operators and school bus drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bus Operator | School Bus Driver | |
| Average salary | $37,374 | $37,607 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $46,000 | Between $30,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Epic Systems |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a bus operator and a school bus driver in terms of educational background:
| Bus Operator | School Bus Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between bus operators' and school bus drivers' demographics:
| Bus Operator | School Bus Driver | |
| Average age | 55 | 58 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 25.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 47.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 2.6% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |