What does a transit bus driver do?
Transit bus driver responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real transit bus driver resumes:
- Train in CPR, and the individual needs of the clients.
- Charter arraign trips to Ohio and NYC.
- Perform daily vehicle inspection in accordance with CDL requirements.
- Implement the extensive public relations training acquire from RTA.
- Transport passengers to and from destinations/ CDL license with air-brake endorsement.
- Read maps, GPS, follow written and verbal geographic direction.
- Adhere with all RTA & ADA regulations in safely transporting the general public.
- Operate transit vehicles and electronic notepads with GPS to make pickup and drop offs of customers.
- Assist passengers with disabilities with their needs, which may include securing wheelchairs, scooters and walkers.
- Operate bus in a manner that keep passengers safe, by securing wheelchairs, walkers and scooters in the bus.
- Maintain vehicle interior and exterior cleanliness.
- Maintain professionalism and upkeep cleanliness of assign bus.
- Gain experience driving little para-transit buses as well as large coaches from MCI.
- Oversee all transit mode operations for para-transit.services.
- Obtain information about children health history and allergies
Transit bus driver skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Transit Bus Drivers are proficient in Passenger Endorsement, DOT, and Safety Rules. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Hand-eye coordination, and Hearing ability.
We break down the percentage of Transit Bus Drivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Passenger Endorsement, 16%
Licensed with a class B intrastate CDL, with a passenger endorsement and air brake endorsement.
- DOT, 15%
Complete logs and reports and following DOT regulations and safety standards.
- Safety Rules, 10%
Utilized safety practices and procedures following established safety rules and regulations and maintained a safe and clean work environment.
- Two-Way Radio, 9%
Reported delays, accidents and other traffic and transportation situations, using telephones and mobile two-way radios.
- Transport Passengers, 6%
Follow a designated route to transport passengers from one place to another.
- Customer Service, 6%
Developed a Customer Service standard, increasing Customer Satisfaction.
Common skills that a transit bus driver uses to do their job include "passenger endorsement," "dot," and "safety rules." You can find details on the most important transit bus driver responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a transit bus driver to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "bus drivers regularly interact with passengers and must be courteous and helpful." Transit bus drivers often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assist with readying safety equipment to outfit guests in preparation for their river adventure. "
Hand-eye coordination. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling transit bus driver duties is hand-eye coordination. The role rewards competence in this skill because "driving a bus requires the controlled use of multiple limbs on the basis of what a person observes." According to a transit bus driver resume, here's how transit bus drivers can utilize hand-eye coordination in their job responsibilities: "provided administrative services and coordination for the activities of the public transportation system, which includes fixed-route bus"
Hearing ability. This is an important skill for transit bus drivers to perform their duties. For an example of how transit bus driver responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "bus drivers need good hearing." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a transit bus driver: "participated in disciplinary review hearings for bus operators who committed rule and policy violations. ".
Patience. For certain transit bus driver responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "patience." The day-to-day duties of a transit bus driver rely on this skill, as "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." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what transit bus drivers do: "transport passengers safely to and from all scheduled destinations exercise patience, understanding, and mature judgment. "
Physical health. Another common skill required for transit bus driver responsibilities is "physical health." This skill comes up in the duties of transit bus drivers all the time, as "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." An excerpt from a real transit bus driver resume shows how this skill is central to what a transit bus driver does: "employed as contractor for metro access in which i transport the physically/mentally handicap. "
Visual ability. While "visual ability" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to transit bus driver responsibilities. Much of what a transit bus driver does relies on this skill, seeing as "bus drivers must be able to pass vision tests." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of transit bus drivers: "performed a complete visual safety check of each bus driven on a daily basis, completing daily pre and post-trip checklists. "
The three companies that hire the most transit bus drivers are:
- First Transit29 transit bus drivers jobs
- University of Virginia4 transit bus drivers jobs
- Baltimore Metropolitan Council3 transit bus drivers jobs
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Compare different transit bus drivers
Transit bus driver vs. Motor coach operator
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a transit bus driver are more likely to require skills like "two-way radio," "bus route," "air brakes," and "bus stops." On the other hand, a job as a motor coach operator requires skills like "safety regulations," "cdl," "otr," and "professional appearance." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Motor coach operators tend to reach similar levels of education than transit bus drivers. In fact, motor coach operators are 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Transit bus driver vs. Coach operator
Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal. They should be expert navigators and may use navigation apps to help them along the way. They should also be familiar with the basic mechanics of the vehicle they are using and the proper maintenance and cleaning needed to ensure that the car is running well. Drivers are expected to have excellent customer relation skills, a strong sense of direction, and superb organizations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, transit bus driver responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "scooters," "cdl license," "traffic regulations," and "pre." Meanwhile, a coach operator has duties that require skills in areas such as "incident reports," "cdl," "transportation services," and "direct reports." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, coach operators earn a higher salary than transit bus drivers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, coach operators earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $62,006. Whereas transit bus drivers have higher pay in the real estate industry, with an average salary of $39,631.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Coach operators tend to reach similar levels of education than transit bus drivers. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Transit bus driver vs. Bus operator
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a transit bus driver is likely to be skilled in "dot," "bus route," "traffic laws," and "cdl license," while a typical bus operator is skilled in "cdl," "vehicle inspections," "incident reports," and "local traffic regulations."
Bus operators earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $40,248. Comparatively, transit bus drivers have the highest earning potential in the real estate industry, with an average salary of $39,631.When it comes to education, bus operators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to transit bus drivers. In fact, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Transit bus driver vs. Driver
Even though a few skill sets overlap between transit bus drivers and drivers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a transit bus driver might have more use for skills like "passenger endorsement," "two-way radio," "bus route," and "air brakes." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of drivers require skills like "math," "basic math," "cdl," and "cleanliness. "
In general, drivers earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $39,688. The highest-paying industry for a transit bus driver is the real estate industry.In general, drivers hold similar degree levels compared to transit bus drivers. Drivers are 0.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of transit bus driver
Updated January 8, 2025
