Bus Or Coach Driver

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

45 to 47 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

How To Become a Bus Or Coach Driver

You can get into this job through:

an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

Apprenticeship

You can get into this job through a passenger transport driver intermediate apprenticeship.

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You'll usually apply to bus or coach companies and train on the job.

You would be put through Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driver training that normally lasts between 1 and 6 weeks.

Your employer would also give you training for the Certificate of Professional Competence or Driver CPC.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

customer service skills
knowledge of public safety and security
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
knowledge of transport methods, costs and benefits
the ability to work well with others
the ability to operate and control equipment
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

taking fares
checking tickets and passes
giving timetable or route information
helping passengers who are having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle
driving safely and keeping to timetables

If you're a coach driver, your duties may also include:

greeting passengers and checking documents
loading and unloading luggage
making announcements during the journey
making sure passengers are back on board for return journeys, and after scheduled stops
keeping the coach clean and doing basic vehicle checks
recording driving hours and reporting any incidents
for trips abroad, keeping passengers up to date with travel information and dealing with border control authorities

Working Environment

You could work from a vehicle.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a service controller or inspector, depot manager or driver training instructor.

You could also set up your own business. For this you'll need the Transport Manager CPC in Passenger Transport. This could be done through a local training provider.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about jobs in the passenger transport and travel industries from Careers That Move.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) - this is known as the Driver CPC
be over 18 years of age
have a full driving licence

Every 5 years you'll need to:

take 35 hours of Driver CPC training
renew your bus driving licence if you're aged 45 or over

Find out more about applying for your provisional PCV licence.

For some jobs you’ll also need a digital tachograph card.