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The differences between school bus drivers and shuttle 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 $35,367 average annual salary of a shuttle driver.
The top three skills for a school bus driver include vehicle inspections, customer service and safety rules. The most important skills for a shuttle driver are CDL, DOT, and tractor trailer.
| School Bus Driver | Shuttle Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $37,607 | $35,367 |
| Hourly rate | $18.08 | $17.00 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 112,230 | 416,879 |
| Job satisfaction | 1.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 58 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
Shuttle bus drivers offer a route with limited stops or fast transportation services. The drivers are expected to drive following a specific way or a set of schedules. They must be familiar with the route through reading reports and studying maps. It is their responsibility to maintain contact with the dispatcher. They track the pick-ups and drop-offs of the passengers whenever necessary. When asked questions, they should respond politely and in a friendly manner. They should be equipped with skills in customer service, be professional, and should have stamina.
School bus drivers and shuttle drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Bus Driver | Shuttle Driver | |
| Average salary | $37,607 | $35,367 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $46,000 | Between $22,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, MA | Manchester, NH |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Epic Systems | A. Duie Pyle |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a school bus driver and a shuttle driver in terms of educational background:
| School Bus Driver | Shuttle Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between school bus drivers' and shuttle drivers' demographics:
| School Bus Driver | Shuttle Driver | |
| Average age | 58 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3% | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 23.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |