Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.3). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Drive vehicles over specified routes or to specified destinations according to time schedules, complying with traffic regulations to ensure that passengers have a smooth and safe ride. Core · importance 4.7
• Inspect vehicles and check gas, oil, and water levels prior to departure. Core · importance 4.5
• Park vehicles at loading areas so that passengers can board. Core · importance 4.5
• Announce stops to passengers. Core · importance 4.5
• Assist passengers, such as elderly or disabled individuals, on and off bus, ensure they are seated properly, help carry baggage, and answer questions about bus schedules or routes. Core · importance 4.3
• Collect tickets or cash fares from passengers. Core · importance 4.3
• Handle passenger emergencies or disruptions. Core · importance 4.2
• Report delays or accidents. Core · importance 4.2
• Advise passengers to be seated and orderly while on vehicles. Core · importance 4.2
• Read maps to plan bus routes. Supplemental · importance 4.2
• Regulate heating, lighting, and ventilating systems for passenger comfort. Core · importance 4.1
• Record information, such as cash receipts and ticket fares, and maintain log book. Core · importance 4.1
• Maintain cleanliness of bus or motor coach. Core · importance 4.0
• Load and unload baggage in baggage compartments. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Make minor repairs to vehicle and change tires. Supplemental

Work activities

• Follow safety procedures for vehicle operation.
• Drive passenger vehicles.
• Provide transportation information to passengers or customers.
• Assist passengers during vehicle boarding.
• Assist others during emergencies.
• Record operational or production data.
• Record sales or transactions data.
• Collect fares or payment from customers.
• Clean vehicles or vehicle components.
• Provide customers with general information or assistance.
• Read maps to determine routes.
• Inspect motor vehicles.
• Measure the level or depth of water or other liquids.
• Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
• Assist customers to ensure comfort or safety.
• Load shipments, belongings, or materials.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Transferable skills

Essential skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Depth Perception Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Microsoft Windows Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Microsoft MapPoint Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Transportation and Materials Moving . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Interest areas

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.

• Taxi Drivers · 53-3054.00 Compare →
• Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs · 53-3053.00 Compare →
• Subway and Streetcar Operators · 53-4041.00 Compare →
• Bus Drivers, School · 53-3051.00 Compare →
• School Bus Monitors · 33-9094.00 Compare →
• Passenger Attendants · 53-6061.00 Compare →
• Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters · 53-4031.00 Compare →
• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · 53-3032.00 Compare →
• Light Truck Drivers · 53-3033.00 Compare →
• Locomotive Engineers · 53-4011.00 Compare →
• Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks · 43-4181.00 Compare →
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance · 43-5032.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-53-3052-00,
  title  = {Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-3052-00}
}