What does a School Bus Driver do?
School Bus Drivers drive children to school each morning and return them home each afternoon. They may also transport children and faculty staff to other venues within school hours. This may include providing transport for excursions and sporting competitions. They are responsible for children and faculty staff arriving at their destinations safely and on time. School Bus Drivers also make sure that students maintain good behaviour while riding on the bus. School Bus Drivers are considered ambassadors for the school and should act as role models for students.
School Bus Driver skills and qualifications
School Bus Drivers use a variety of skills in their careers. A successful School Bus Driver candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include:
- Excellent driving ability
- Understanding and respect for traffic laws
- Knowledge of local area, especially regular driving routes
- Good verbal communication skills for interacting with students, faculty staff and supervisors
- Conflict resolution for managing the behaviour of unruly students
- Vehicle safety knowledge for performing bus inspections
School Bus Driver experience requirements
Many schools and bus operators prefer School Bus Drivers with professional driving experience. School Bus Driving experience is ideal, but any experience in passenger transport is valuable. Some schools and bus operators may hire School Bus Drivers without driving experience if they seem like the right candidate.
Aspiring School Bus Drivers often gain experience through Passenger Carrying Vehicle Driving apprenticeships. These apprenticeships lead to industry-recognised qualifications.
School Bus Driver education and training requirements
School Bus Drivers must hold at least a full category B driver license. Many employers prefer hiring people with a full category D license. However, some schools and bus operators will provide training for this license. Many employers only consider candidates with six or more penalty points on their license. As this role involves working with children, all School Bus Drivers must pass a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Most employers also prefer candidates with current driver Certificates of Professional Competence. Many School Bus Drivers must undergo additional training before starting work.
There are no formal educational requirements for School Bus Drivers, however, some schools and bus operators may only consider applicants with some GCSEs or similar at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C). Employers also favour applicants with a Level 2 qualification in road passenger transport or Level 2 QCF Award in knowledge of a professional bus and coach driver. First aid and CPR certificates are also preferred.
School Bus Driver salary expectations
No salary data could be found on on indeed.com/uk/salaries
Job description samples for similar positions
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