Bus Driver
🚌Drives a city or intercity bus on a set route: stops, timetables and passenger safety in rush hour.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $55.9k a year on average · +4.1% jobs by 2035 · 21,100 openings a year
Bus drivers, transit and intercity — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £36.3k median a year · 65,000 jobs
Bus and coach drivers — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Driverless buses are being trialled in Europe and the US; by 2035–2040 some routes may be automated, though drivers are in short supply now.
Who it suits
Interests: ✈️ Transport, flying, sea, 🛡️ Protecting, rescuing, serving.
Key strengths: organisation.
Where to study
- Course Category D licence + Driver CPC (UK/EU) or CDL with passenger endorsement (US), often paid by the operator
- Apprenticeship Passenger transport driver apprenticeship (UK)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Geography.
🧗 A Category D licence with Driver CPC (UK/EU) or a CDL with passenger endorsement (US), often paid by the operator. Usually 21+. Then supervised training on routes.
Things to know
🌙 Night shifts and on-call🩺 Strict medical checks🪑 Sitting at a computer all day
Similar careers
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