Methodology
The goal of this guide is to give you real data what the “must haves” of bus driver resumes are.
To do that, we compiled and analyzed data from bus driver resumes and 16 bus driver job listings to get the data used for this our bus driver resume guide.
In addition to bus driver-specific resume data, we built a database of nearly 1 million resumes and job listings, and we use a propriety machine learning model to understand the anatomy of the best resumes in general.
Quick note: using the data below can help you build a competitive resume, but it’s always important to be creative, unique, and personal to stand out.
If you want more info on our methodology, you can check it out here.
Bus driver resume objective data + bus driver objective examples
Pop quiz: do bus driver’s really need to use an objective?
In general, whether or not you need an objective or professional summary can depend a lot on your personal career level (check out our article on resume objectives), but this is what our analysis found for bus driver’s specifically:
- 33% of bus driver’s included an objective section
- 26% of bus driver’s included a professional summary
- 48% of bus driver’s included neither an objective nor a summary
Bus driver objective examples
A highly motivated bus driver who aims to make use of their interpersonal skills to achieve goals of a company that focuses on customer satisfaction and customer experience.
Seeking a challenging role as a bus driver where I can utilize my safe driving skills, excellent communication and customer service abilities to provide a smooth and comfortable transportation experience for passengers
Looking for a bus driver position where I can apply my passion for transportation and commitment to safety, to ensure passengers arrive at their destinations safely and on time
Driven professional seeking a bus driver opportunity to utilize my extensive experience in transporting passengers, following safety regulations, and providing exceptional customer service to enhance the overall travel experience
Skills for bus driver resumes
These are the skills that occurred most frequently in in bus driver resumes, which means they tend to be core competencies or highly desired skills.
Of course, you should only list skills that you actually have, and you should prioritze skills most relevant to the job you're applying for. But these are good core skills to include on your resume.
To get more detail on building a powerful skills section, take a peek at our article on resume skills.
*Note: to find skills our machine learning model basically looks for common words, so take these with a grain of salt and use your best judgment.
Most common bus driver resume skills
Most common hard skills for bus driver resumes: local route knowledge, clean driving record, traffic laws and regulations, fuel logs, and adjusting routes.
Most common soft skills for bus driver resumes: communication skills, customer-service skills, interpersonal skills, listening skills, and patience.
Other good bus driver resume skills
- Driving skills
- Defensive driving
- Child safety
- CPR and first aid
- Sense of direction
- Assisting school staff
- Friendliness
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication
- Time management
- Efficiency
- Physical stamina
- Customer service
- Reliability
- Bus equipment maintenance
- GPS applications
Bus driver skills section examples
Note: these examples are formatted the same here just because it’s simple, but we have more detailed formatting advice (and examples) in our guide to resume formatting.
Bus driver skills example 1
Driving skills | clean driving record | child safety | cpr and first aid | fuel logs | adjusting routes | sense of direction
Bus driver skills example 2
Defensive driving | communication skills | assisting school staff | customer-service skills | friendliness | interpersonal skills | interpersonal skills
Bus driver skills example 3
Reliability | communication | patience | listening skills | efficiency | customer-service skills | physical stamina
Work experience for bus driver resumes
Your work experience section is almost always the most important part of your resume. Because it’s difficult to pull trends from this kind of section, this section is mostly just examples.
For some advanced strategies for writing about work experience on a resume, refer to our article on building a strong work experience resume section. We also have a guide on writing a resume with no experience if you’re just starting your career.
For now, it’s good to remember that the most important experience for any bus driver resume is the most relevant experience.
A couple examples for you:
Bus driver work experience examples
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sr. Associate Bus Driver
Storm Solutions, 2021-2022
Responsibilities
- Monitor financial markets and the performance of individual securities
- Contact prospective clients to present information and explain available services
- Manage the finances of the facility, such as patient fees and billing
- Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems
- Address complaints regarding food quality or service
WORK EXPERIENCE
Associate Bus Driver
Obelus Concepts, 2015-2022
Responsibilities
- Repair or replace malfunctioning components, parts, and other mechanical or electrical equipment
- Bathe animals, trim nails, clip hair, and attend to other grooming needs
- Planned and executed various engagement activities
- Accompanied students on the bus to transport from home to day programs
- Assisted in distributing lunches and snacks to the various classrooms
WORK EXPERIENCE
Bus Driver Intern
Hooli, 2009-2012
Responsibilities
- Transport children and other passengers to and from school
- Obey all traffic laws
- Maintain a clean and mechanically sound bus at all times
- Ensure the safety of all students
- Verify permissions for children who ride home with friends
Education for bus driver resumes
For most positions, work experience is more important than education, although it can be important for new grads or for fields in which specific classes are industry-standard.
So it’s not a big section, but it’s still important, and often, bus driver job postings list a minimum education requirement.
Check out our blueprint for education on resumes for our full playbook on education sections.
Data from our sample of 933 bus driver resumes
- 9% bus driver resumes listed an associate’s degree
- 59% bus driver resumes listed a bachelor’s degree
- 27% bus driver resumes included a masters degree
- 1% bus driver resumes mentioned a doctoral degree
Bus driver resume education examples
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Management Studies
Mt. Diablo Adult Education, 2021
Awards & Honors
- Cum Laude
- Summa Cum Laude
- Summa Cum Laude
EDUCATION
Associate of Science
FLS International – Las Vegas, 2015
Certifications for bus driver resumes
Certifications aren’t a strict requirement for every job, but there are almost always certifications you can get to boost your chances of success.
If you want to see how to build these sections, we have a guide about certifications on resumes.
We did a little research and found certifications can help bus driver’s specifically, according to CareerOneStop.
Bus driver certification examples
CERTIFICATIONS
School Bus Endorsement
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2021
Supervisor of Pupil Transportation
National Association for Pupil Transportation, 2015
CERTIFICATIONS
School Bus Endorsement, Supervisor of Pupil Transportation, Certified Credit Union Board Member
Bus driver resume action verbs
Using our database of nearly 1,000,000 publicly available resumes, we compiled an index of action verbs and cross-referenced it with our sample of 933 bus driver resumes and job postings to uncover which action verbs are most commonly used by bus driver’s and bus driver employers.
The most common action verbs on bus driver resumes are: program, process, assist, prepare, and manage.
The most common action verbs on bus driver job postings are: lead, plan, review, handle, and field.
Other action verbs for bus driver resumes:
- Perform
- Develop
- Design
- Test
- Direct
- Create
- Monitor
- Track
- Organize
- Resolve
Full bus driver resume example
Lastly, we wanted to give you a couple full bus driver resume examples..
Please note: you can write a better resume than this. This is just a quick illustration to show you how these pieces might fit together.
If you’d like to see “perfect” resumes, we have a showcase of resume examples.
Bus driver resume example
Angela Randolph
Bus Driver
4529 Oak Lane, Kansas City, MO
Looking for a bus driver position where I can apply my passion for transportation and commitment to safety, to ensure passengers arrive at their destinations safely and on time
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sr. Associate Bus Driver
Storm Solutions, 2021-2022
Responsibilities
- Assist students with getting on and off the bus as needed
- Discipline children as needed to maintain a safe environment
- Perform inspections of the bus before and after each route
- Attend safety meetings as required
Associate Bus Driver
Obelus Concepts, 2015-2022
Responsibilities
- Established workflow processes, monitored daily productivity and implemented modifications to improve overall performance of personnel in transportation. Including communications with radio dispatcher
- Communicated corporate objectives across divisions through regular correspondence and scheduled status updates
- Coordinated special projects and managed schedules
- Facilitated discussions with school district and parents of students on various issues such as behavioral issues and cost effective, efficient travel routes
Bus Driver Intern
Hooli, 2009-2016
Responsibilities
- Responsible for maintenance of vehicles and communication of needed repairs
- Coached new hires on company processes while coaching employees to achieve maximum production
- Focused and dependable with demonstrated history of addressing passenger needs
- Fosters convenience and safety for disabled patrons
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified in Special Needs Transportation
National Association for Pupil Transportation, 2021
Certified Community Transit Manager
Community Transportation Association of America, 2015
SKILLS
Driving skills | sense of direction | commercial driver’s license | interpersonal skills | communication skills | local route knowledge | communication
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Management Studies
Mt. Diablo Adult Education, 2021
Associate of Science
FLS International – Las Vegas, 2015
What experts say about bus driver resumes
Before we wrap it up, we want to leave you with some advice from other experts we admire.
“You should always include measurable results in your bullet points, optimize and add your LinkedIn profile, and avoid using buzzwords to write a good resume.” – Write an Incredible Resume: 5 Golden Rules!
“Avoid being general when you talk about your skills. Especially skills that are not on the job description.” – Resume Skills: 5 Winning Strategies + Mistakes to AVOID | Indeed Career Tips
“Include a resume summary. This is a two to three-sentence paragraph or a description of you and your professional offering. It’s often the first thing a recruiter will see.” – Resume Writing: 4 Tips on How to Write a Standout Resume | Indeed Career Tips
