The median annual wage for bus drivers, transit and intercity was $38,290 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,310, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $62,240.
The median annual wage for bus drivers, school or special client was $29,490 in May 2015.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $45,670.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for school or special-client bus drivers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
$32,850
School and employee bus transportation
31,810
Elementary and secondary schools; local
28,490
Other transit and ground passenger transportation
26,470
School bus drivers work only when school is in session. Some make multiple runs if schools in their district each open and close at different times. Others make only two runs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so their work hours are limited.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for transit and intercity bus drivers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
$45,270
Interurban and rural bus transportation
35,910
Urban transit systems
35,340
Charter bus industry
28,910
Transit drivers may work weekends, late nights, and early mornings.
Motor coach drivers travel with their vacationing passengers. The work hours of motor coach drivers are dictated by a tour schedule, and drivers may work all hours of the day, as well as weekends and holidays. Some intercity bus drivers have long-distance routes, so they spend some nights away. Other intercity bus drivers make a round trip and go home at the end of each shift.
Union Membership
Compared with workers in all occupations, bus drivers had a higher percentage of workers who belonged to a union in 2014.
Bus Drivers
Median annual wages, May 2015
Bus drivers, transit and intercity
$38,290
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Motor vehicle operators
$34,170
Bus drivers
$30,950
Bus drivers, school or special client
$29,490
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics