What does a Transit Operator do?
Transit operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real transit operator resumes:
- Provide station area land-use, density and urban network design recommendations base on best practices and GIS network analysis.
- Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
- Document mileage and client information into SCR computer system (MDT).
Transit operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Transit Operators are proficient in Transport Passengers, CDL, and Passenger Endorsement. 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 Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Transport Passengers, 24%
Transport passengers while demonstrating a professional attitude and establishing positive customer relationships in demand response and fixed route services.
- CDL, 12%
Fixed route CDL B operator.
- Passenger Endorsement, 8%
Licensed to operate 30, 35 and 40-foot vehicles with passenger endorsements.
- Safety Procedures, 8%
Manage safety procedures for compliance with company, OSHA, and DOT guidelines.
- Vehicle Inspections, 8%
Completed required daily paperwork including vehicle inspection, delivery reports and maintenance forms.
- Customer Service, 5%
Provide courteous and professional customer service when answering customer inquiries and solving transit related concerns of passengers.
Most transit operators use their skills in "transport passengers," "cdl," and "passenger endorsement" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential transit operator responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a transit 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." Transit operators often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "coached operators and customers on public transportation etiquette as well as changes to routes and equipment. "
Hand-eye coordination. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling transit operator 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 operator resume, here's how transit operators can utilize hand-eye coordination in their job responsibilities: "meet productivity goals & quality standards- communicate in english, both verbal and written- good hand-eye coordination- attention to detail"
Hearing ability. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of transit operators is hearing ability. This skill is critical to many everyday transit operator duties, as "bus drivers need good hearing." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "experienced in shearing, torching, baling, ppe, customer service, and house cleaning. "
Patience. transit operator responsibilities often require "patience." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "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." This resume example shows what transit operators do with patience on a typical day: "learned to maintain excellent executive presence, and not lose patience when working with children not following ride safety rules. "
Physical health. A commonly-found skill in transit operator job descriptions, "physical health" is essential to what transit operators do. Transit operator responsibilities rely on this skill because "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." You can also see how transit operator duties rely on physical health in this resume example: "perform pre-post operation vehicle inspection; record any physical deficiencies on required form. "
Visual ability. Lastly, "visual ability" is an important element of what a transit operator does. Transit operator responsibilities require this skill because "bus drivers must be able to pass vision tests." This resume example highlights how transit operator duties rely on this skill: "monitor the processes through computer systems and visual inspection and recognize when process parameters deviate to alert and take action. "
The three companies that hire the most transit operators are:
- City of Billings2 transit operators jobs
- City Of Johnson City2 transit operators jobs
- Chapel Hill Country Club2 transit operators jobs
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Compare different transit operators
Transit operator vs. Motor coach driver
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a transit operator are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "general supervision," "mobility devices," and "emergency situations." On the other hand, a job as a motor coach driver requires skills like "dot," "minor maintenance," "charter bus," and "pre trip." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, motor coach drivers reach similar levels of education than transit operators. Motor coach drivers are 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Transit operator vs. City bus driver
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, transit operator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cdl," "safety procedures," "vehicle inspections," and "general supervision." Meanwhile, a city bus driver has duties that require skills in areas such as "dot," "drill press," "local traffic regulations," and "maintenance reports." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
City bus drivers earn similar levels of education than transit operators in general. They're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Transit operator vs. Charter driver
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from transit operator resumes include skills like "passenger endorsement," "safety procedures," "customer service," and "general supervision," whereas a charter driver is more likely to list skills in "charter bus," "dot," "drop offs," and "pre-check. "
Charter drivers earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $46,380. Comparatively, transit operators have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $39,589.When it comes to education, charter drivers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to transit operators. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Transit operator vs. Charter coach driver
Types of transit operator
Updated January 8, 2025
