Bus or coach driver
Bus and coach drivers transport passengers on local, national or overseas journeys.
Salary range: £14,000 to £25,000
How to become a bus or coach driver
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
Apprenticeship
You can get into this job through a passenger transport driver intermediate apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More information
Direct application
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.
More information
Further information
You can find out more about jobs in the passenger transport and travel industries from Careers That Move.
What it takes
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
Restrictions and 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.
What you’ll do
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 and 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.