jobfacts

Bus or coach driver

Bus and coach drivers — SOC 2020 8212

Bus and coach drivers drive road passenger-carrying vehicles such as buses, coaches and mini-buses.

Also calledBus driverShunterDriver-mechanicPsv driverDriverPublic service vehicle driverand 13 more titles
Typical full-time pay£36,3002025 Provisional
People in the job118,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month777↓ 3%on last year · 216th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time bus or coach drivers earn between £30,900 and £43,900 a year.

What full-time bus or coach drivers earn, 2025
£36,300 typical£26,300lowest 10%£30,90025%£45,400top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£30,900–£43,900)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£26,300
Lowest 20% earn less than£29,700
25%£30,900
Median£36,300
75%£43,900
Top 20% earn more than£45,400
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £36,300
London£44,900
South East£37,100
East of England£33,700
South West£32,900
North West£32,500
Scotland£31,800
East Midlands!£31,600
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,500
Wales!£31,300
North East£31,200
West Midlands!£29,800
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £36,300
London£44,900
South East£37,100
East of England£33,700
South West£32,900
North West£32,500
Scotland£31,800
East Midlands£31,600 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,500
Wales£31,300 (small sample)
North East£31,200
West Midlands£29,800 (small sample)
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £31,500
  • 2024 £34,600
  • 2025 Provisional£36,300
↑ 15% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 777 jobs for bus or coach drivers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026736
Jul 2026886
Jun 2026761
May 2026807
Apr 2026768
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026745
Jan 2026820
Dec 2025383
Nov 2025732
Oct 2025975
Sept 2025932
Aug 2025802
Jul 2025833
Jun 2025917
May 2025973
Apr 2025672
Mar 2025974
Feb 2025832
Jan 2025754
Dec 2024475
Nov 2024685
Oct 2024934
Sept 2024932
Aug 2024967
Jul 2024969
Jun 2024997
May 20241,100
Apr 2024925
Mar 2024778
Feb 2024867
Jan 2024949
Dec 2023870
Nov 2023854
Oct 2023753
Sept 2023664
Aug 2023886
Jul 20231,064
Jun 20231,630
May 20231,516
Apr 20231,304
Mar 20231,411
Feb 20231,370
Jan 20231,892
Dec 20221,393
Nov 20221,550
Oct 20221,702
Sept 20221,603
Aug 20221,459
Jul 20221,538
Jun 20221,446
May 20221,651
Apr 20221,159
Mar 20221,271
Feb 20221,213
Jan 20221,209
Dec 20211,036
Nov 20211,127
Oct 20211,197
Sept 20211,082
Aug 20211,031
Jul 20211,120
Jun 2021736
May 2021745
Apr 2021709
Mar 2021844
Feb 2021432
Jan 2021383
Dec 2020421
Nov 2020491
Oct 2020666
Sept 2020760
Aug 2020510
Jul 2020432
Jun 2020343
May 2020311
Apr 2020314
Mar 2020755
Feb 20201,033
Jan 20201,173
Dec 20191,037
Nov 2019952
Oct 20191,331
Sept 2019974
Aug 2019810
Jul 2019909
Jun 2019729
May 2019673
Apr 2019623
Mar 2019650
Feb 2019568
Jan 2019687
Dec 2018420
Nov 2018556
Oct 2018703
Sept 2018862
Aug 2018651
Jul 2018588
Jun 2018767
May 2018641
Apr 2018568
Mar 2018546
Feb 2018568
Jan 2018545
Dec 2017433
Nov 2017586
Oct 2017703
Sept 2017748
Aug 2017782
Jul 2017612
Jun 2017906
May 2017884
Apr 2017781
Mar 2017928
Feb 2017690
Jan 2017746
Is there a shortage of bus or coach drivers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
19%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London255
Birmingham37
Somerset36
Manchester29
Glasgow City28
Leeds25
Bristol, City of22
Highland22
Reading21
Sheffield21
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where bus or coach drivers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of bus or coach drivers
2.5%!
10%!
15%!
29%
34%
9.8%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–242.5% (small sample)
25–3410% (small sample)
35–4415% (small sample)
45–5429%
55–6434%
65+9.8% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent15%
Higher education below degree!3.7%
A levels or equivalent25%
GCSEs or equivalent23%
Other qualifications21%
No qualifications8.8%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent15%
Higher education below degree3.7% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent25%
GCSEs or equivalent23%
Other qualifications21%
No qualifications8.8%

Main employers: urban and suburban passenger land transport (66%), other passenger land transport nec (11%), regulation of and contribution to more efficient operation of businesses (6.8%), other transportation support activities (2.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
15%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 25%
Registration
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
required to practise: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 year
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Passenger Transport Driver Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, with a bus or coach company.

You will need to hold at least a Category B (car driving licence) to start training.

The apprenticeship typically takes 12 months to complete and combines workplace training with off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

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

Apply directly

You can apply to bus or coach companies and train on the job.

Most companies will expect you to have a at least 6 months' car driving experience.

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

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

What you’ll need

  • have a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) known as a driver CPC
  • be over 18 years of age
  • have a full driving licence
  • take 35 hours of Driver CPC training
  • renew your bus driving licence if you're aged 45 or over

Every 5 years you'll need to:

Find out more about applying for your provisional PCV licence.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Some travel companies offer contracts where you receive a daily rate until the job is complete. For example, it might be driving passengers on a coaching holiday. In cases like these, the rates can be from £120 a day upwards.

Further information

You can find out how to become a qualified bus driver on GOV.UK.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for bus or coach driver. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job
Level 2About 1 year

Passenger transport driver

You gain
option 1 bus and coach driver: UK driving licence Category D and Driver CPC; option 2 tram driver: UK driving licence Category B
Registration
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Employers may ask for
Apprentices be a minimum of 18 years old in order to access the apprenticeship.
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • checks tyres, brakes, lights, oil, water and fuel levels and general condition of the vehicle before start of journey
  • drives single- and double-decked vehicle over pre-determined route, complying with traffic regulations and keeping to time schedule
  • stops and opens and closes doors at pre-arranged places to allow passengers to board and alight, observing regulations concerning the number of passengers carried
  • may collect fares from passengers and issue tickets or ensure that they use a ticket machine
  • may plan routes in conjunction with private hirer and assist with loading and unloading of luggage
  • balances cash taken with tickets sold and may be responsible for cleanliness of vehicle
  • maintains records of journey times, mileage and hours worked

Skills

  • adhere to transportation work schedule
  • apply conflict management
  • assist disabled passengers
  • clean road vehicles
  • communicate clearly with passengers
  • communicate with customers
  • drive in urban areas
  • ensure vehicle operability
  • ensure vehicles are equipped with accessibility equipment
  • focus on passengers
  • help to control passenger behaviour during emergency situations
  • keep time accurately
  • lift heavy weights
  • maintain concentration for long periods

Knowledge

  • effective perception of transport environment
  • health and safety measures in transportation
  • passenger transport regulations
  • road traffic laws
  • mechanical components of vehicles
  • mechanical composition of trams

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives, a group of 14 jobs that includes bus or coach drivers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 6.7%about 80,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035748,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.