What does a coach operator do?
Coach operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real coach operator resumes:
- Train newly hire drivers to obtain CDL for public transit system.
- Used GPS navigation skills to make sure customer are on time for press schedules and events.
- Operate wheelchair lift, and providing assistance to passengers with wheelchairs or scooters by properly securing them.
- Secure and transport disabled passengers with various styles of wheelchairs, scooters, walkers and carts according to U.S. ADA standards.
- Familiarize with company PPE policies and operating procedures.
- Shift safety auditor- safety audits, incident investigations, PPE verification
- Provide guidance to the consumers and their family/caregiver for effective care transitions, improve self-management skills, and enhance patient-practitioner communication.
- Maintain confidentiality of consumer personal and health information in compliance with HIPAA.
Coach operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 31% of Coach Operators are proficient in Transport Passengers, Safety Rules, 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 Coach Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Transport Passengers, 31%
Transport passengers to routed destinations.
- Safety Rules, 15%
Enforce Department of Transportation safety rules and regulations.
- Customer Service, 8%
Operate transit vehicles safely and efficiently on tightly scheduled routes while providing optimal customer service and other services as required.
- Incident Reports, 7%
Conducted incident reports on a daily basis.
- CDL, 7%
Position required a CDL Class B license with air brake and passenger endorsements.
- DOT, 5%
Performed safety inspections in accordance with DOT regulations.
Most coach operators use their skills in "transport passengers," "safety rules," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential coach operator responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a coach operator to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "bus drivers regularly interact with passengers and must be courteous and helpful." Coach operators often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "followed scheduled bus routes to pick up and drop off customers. "
Patience. Many coach operator duties rely on patience. "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.," so a coach operator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways coach operator responsibilities rely on patience: "learned to maintain excellent executive presence, and not lose patience when working with children not following ride safety rules. "
Hand-eye coordination. This is an important skill for coach operators to perform their duties. For an example of how coach operator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "driving a bus requires the controlled use of multiple limbs on the basis of what a person observes." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a coach operator: "meet productivity goals & quality standards- communicate in english, both verbal and written- good hand-eye coordination- attention to detail".
Hearing ability. For certain coach operator responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "hearing ability." The day-to-day duties of a coach operator rely on this skill, as "bus drivers need good hearing." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what coach operators do: "experienced in shearing, torching, baling, ppe, customer service, and house cleaning. "
Physical health. Another crucial skill for a coach operator to carry out their responsibilities is "physical health." A big part of what coach operators relies on this skill, since "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." How this skill relates to coach operator duties can be seen in an example from a coach operator resume snippet: "followed kentucky health and safety public transportation regulations. "
Visual ability. Lastly, "visual ability" is an important element of what a coach operator does. Coach operator responsibilities require this skill because "bus drivers must be able to pass vision tests." This resume example highlights how coach operator duties rely on this skill: "perform a complete visual safety check of each bus driven on daily basis, completing daily pre and post trip checklist. "
The three companies that hire the most coach operators are:
- Walmart621 coach operators jobs
- Driven Brands8 coach operators jobs
- Ameriprise Financial5 coach operators jobs
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Compare different coach operators
Coach operator vs. Jitney driver
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a coach operator are more likely to require skills like "transport passengers," "safety rules," "customer service," and "incident reports." On the other hand, a job as a jitney driver requires skills like "cab," "load trucks," "measure materials," and "quality checks." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that jitney drivers earn slightly differ from coach operators. In particular, jitney drivers are 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a coach operator. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Coach operator vs. Transit bus driver
Each career also uses different skills, according to real coach operator resumes. While coach operator responsibilities can utilize skills like "incident reports," "cdl," "transportation services," and "direct reports," transit bus drivers use skills like "scooters," "cdl license," "traffic regulations," and "pre."
Transit bus drivers earn a lower average salary than coach operators. But transit bus drivers earn the highest pay in the real estate industry, with an average salary of $39,631. Additionally, coach operators earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $62,006 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Transit bus drivers tend to reach similar levels of education than coach operators. In fact, they're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Coach operator vs. Trackless trolley driver
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a coach operator is likely to be skilled in "safety rules," "incident reports," "cdl," and "post-trip inspections," while a typical trackless trolley driver is skilled in "trolleys," "cdl-c," "c license," and "trip sheets."
When it comes to education, trackless trolley drivers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to coach operators. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Coach operator vs. Tour bus driver
Types of coach operator
Updated January 8, 2025
