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Job Report Busdrivers
Nature of the Work
Busdrivers provide transportation for millions of Americans every day. Intercity
busdrivers transport people between regions of a State or of the country; local transit
busdrivers, within a metropolitan area; and school busdrivers, to and from schools. They
follow time schedules and routes over highways and city and suburban streets to provide
passengers with an alternative to the automobile and other forms of transportation.
Busdrivers report to their assigned terminal or garage, where they receive tickets and
transfers and prepare trip report forms. Drivers may check their vehicle's tires, brakes,
windshield wipers, lights, oil, fuel, water, and safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers,
first aid kits, and emergency reflectors.
Drivers pick up and discharge passengers at bus stops or stations, or in the case of
students, at corners or in front of houses. Intercity and local transit busdrivers collect fares,
answer questions about schedules, routes, and transfer points, and sometimes announce
stops.
Busdriver days are run by the clock, as they must adhere to schedules. Drivers must
try to keep up when traffic is heavier than normal, yet operate safety. On the other hand,
they cannot let light traffic put them ahead of schedule so that they miss passengers.
Busdrivers must be alert to prevent accidents, especially in heavy traffic or in bad
weather and to avoid sudden stops or swerves which jar passengers. School busdrivers
must exercise particular caution when children are getting on or off.
Bus routes vary. Local transit busdrivers may make several trips each day over the
same city and suburban streets, stopping as frequently as every few blocks. School
busdrivers also drive the same routes each day, stopping frequently to pick up pupils in the
morning and return them to their homes in the afternoon. School busdrivers may also
transport students and teachers on field trips or to sporting events. Intercity busdrivers may
make only a single one-way trip to a distant city or a round trip each day, stopping at towns
just a few miles apart or only at large cities hundreds of miles apart. Drivers who operate
chartered buses pick up groups, take then to their destination, and generally remain with
them until they return. Trips frequently last more than 1 day.
Busdrivers submit daily trip reports with a record of tickets and fares received, trips
made, and significant delays in schedule, and report mechanical problems. They also fill
out accident reports, when necessary. Intercity drivers record distances traveled and the
periods of time they spend driving, performing other duties, and off duty, as required by the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
Working Conditions
Driving a bus through heavy traffic while dealing with passengers is not physically
strenuous, but it can be stressful and fatiguing. On the other hand, many drivers enjoy the
opportunity to work without direct supervision, with full responsibility for the bus and
passengers. Some also like meeting the public.
Intercity and transit busdrivers may work nights and weekends. Some drivers work
part-time shifts. Some must also work when called and must report on short notice.
Intercity busdrivers may drive more than 40 hours a week.
School busdrivers work only when school is in session. Most work 20 hours a week
or fewer, driving one or two routes in the morning and afternoon. Drivers taking field or
athletic trips or who also have midday kindergarten routes may work more hours a week.
Regular local transit busdrivers usually have a 5-day workweek: Saturdays and
Sundays are considered regular workdays. Some drivers work evenings and after midnight.
To accommodate commuters, many work "split shifts," for example 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and
3p.m. to 7 p.m. shifts, with time off in between.
Employment
Busdrivers held about 516,000 jobs in 1990. Most worked part time. About 7 out of
10 drivers worked for school systems or companies that provide school bus services under
contract.
Most of the remainder worked for private and local government transit systems;
some worked for intercity and charter buslines.
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Busdriver qualifications are established by State and Federal regulations. Most
States require that drivers have a commercial driver's license or a special school bus
license. In addition, intercity busdrivers must meet U.S. Department of Transportation
qualifications or those of a State agency, if the driver works only within one State.
School busdrivers must be at least 18 years old in most States, 16 in a few. Local
transit and intercity busdriver must be at least 21 years old. Many intercity bus companies
prefer applicants who are at least 24 years of age; some require several years of bus or
truck driving experience.
Drivers should be in good health and have a good driving record. They need at least
20/40 vision with or without glasses, good hearing, and normal use of their arms and legs.
Many employers prefer high school graduates and require a physical examination and a
written test of ability to follow complex bus schedules. In addition, intercity busdrivers must
pass written examinations on Department of Transportation and State motor vehicle
regulations, as well as a driving test in the type of bus they will operate.
Since busdrivers deal with passengers, they must be courteous. They need an even
temperament and emotional stability because driving in heavy, fast-moving, or stop-and-go
traffic and dealing with passengers can be stressful.
Most intercity bus companies and local transit systems give driver trainees 2 to 8
weeks of classroom and "behind-the-wheel" instruction. In the classroom, trainees learn
U.S. Department of Transportation and company work rules, safety regulations, State and
municipal driving regulations, and safe driving practices. They also learn to read schedules,
determine fares, keep records, and deal courteously with passengers.
Many persons who enter school busdriving have never driven any vehicle larger than
an automobile. They receive up to 1 week of driving instruction plus classroom training on
State and local laws, regulations, and policies of operating school buses; safe driving
practices; driver-pupil relations; first aid; and fire emergency procedures. School busdrivers
must pass driving and written tests and --in some States-- a background investigation to
uncover a criminal record or a history of mental problems.
During training, busdrivers learn on set courses. They practice turns and zigzag
maneuvers, back up, and drive in narrow lanes. Then they drive in light traffic and,
eventually, on congested highways and city streets. They also make trial runs, without
passengers, to improve their driving skills and learn the routes.
Local transit trainees memorize and drive each of the runs operating out of their
assigned garage. New drivers begin with a "break-in" period. They make regularly
scheduled trips with passengers, accompanied by an experienced driver who gives helpful
tips, answer questions, and evaluates the new driver's performance.
New intercity and local transit drivers usually are placed on an "extra" list to
substitute for regular drivers who are ill or on vacation, drive charter runs or extra and
special runs (for example, during morning and evening rush hours and to sports events).
New Drivers remain on the extra list, and may work only part time, perhaps for several
years, until they have enough seniority to get a regular run.
Senior drivers can choose runs they prefer, such as those with more work hours,
lighter traffic, weekends off, or, in the case of intercity busdrivers, higher earnings or fewer
workdays per week.
Opportunities for promotion generally are limited. However, experienced drivers may
become supervisors or dispatchers, who assign buses to drivers, check whether drivers are
on schedule, reroute buses to avoid blocked streets or other problems, and dispatch extra
vehicles and service crews to scenes of accidents and breakdowns. In transit agencies
with rail systems, drivers may become train operators or station attendants. A few drivers
become managers. Promotion in publicly owned bus systems is often by competitive civil
service examination.
Job Outlook
Employment of busdrivers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for
all occupations through the year 2000. Employment of local and intercity drivers will grow
as employers substitute part-time drivers for full timers; bus ridership, itself, is not expected
to grow. Employment of school busdrivers is expected to grow as a result of growth in
elementary and secondary school enrollments.
Employment of local transit and intercity drivers will grow as bus ridership increases
and as population and labor force grow and incomes rise, but most growth will probably be
in more expensive air and automobile transportation rather than in bus travel. Some growth
of ridership is expected, however, in rapidly growing Sunbelt States.
Opportunities for busdriver jobs should generally be good for persons with good
driving records who are able to qualify for a Commercial Driver's License. The number of
busdrivers will grow as competition forces employers to replace full-time drivers with part
timers. Part timers can often be used more efficiently and may also be paid less per hour,
and so it is likely that part-time employment will grow faster than full-time employment.
Due to the relatively high wages of local and intercity busdrivers, competition for
these jobs is expected to be keen. School busdriving jobs should be easier to get, since
earnings are lower and turnover is higher.
Full-time transit busdrivers are rarely laid off during recessions. However, part-time
drivers may be if bus ridership decreases, since fewer extra buses would be needed during
rush hours. Seasonal layoffs are common. Many intercity busdrivers with little seniority,
for example, are furloughed during the winter when regular schedule and charter business
falls off; school busdrivers do not work during the summer or school holidays.
Earnings
Median weekly earnings of busdrivers who worked full time were about $375 in 1990.
The middle 50 percent earned between about $270 and $530 a week. The lowest 10
percent earned less than $215 a week, while the highest tenth earned more than $620 a
week.
According to the American Public Transit Association, local transit busdrivers in
areas with more than 1 million inhabitants had an average top rate of $13.85 an hour in
1991; in areas with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants, drivers had an average top rate of
$9.40 an hour. The average starting rate in most cities was 75 percent of the top rate.
Generally, drivers could reach the top rate in 3 or 4 years.
Earnings of intercity busdrivers depends primarily on the number of miles they drive.
In 1991, beginning intercity drivers worked about 6 months out of the year and earned
about $20,800 while many senior drivers who worked year round earned more than
$41,600.
According to a survey by the Educational Research Service, the average rate for
school busdrivers employed by public school systems was $9.13 an hour during the 1989-
90 school year, with most earning between $8.05 and $10.18 an hour.
Most intercity and many local transit busdrivers are members of the Amalgamated
Transit Union. Local transit busdrivers in New York and several other large cities belong
to the Transport Workers Union of America. Some drivers belong to the United
Transportation Union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs,
Warehousemen and Helpers of America.
Related Occupations
Other workers who drive vehicles on highways and city streets are taxidrivers,
truckdrivers, and chauffeurs.
Sources of Additional Information
For further information on employment opportunities, contact local transit systems,
intercity buslines, school systems, or the local offices of the State employment service.
General information on local transit busdriving is available from:
American Public Transit Association 1225 Connecticut Ave. NW., Suite 200,
Washington, D.C. 20036.
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