Bus Driver

A bus driver operates a large passenger vehicle on scheduled or charter routes within Australian towns, cities, or regional areas. They are responsible for the safe transportation of passengers, adherence to timetables, and compliance with road rules and transport regulations. The role involves pre-journey vehicle checks, navigation of routes, fare collection or ticket validation, and passenger assistance.

Conduct pre-journey safety inspections of the bus including brakes, tyres, lights, mirrors, and emergency equipment in accordance with vehicle maintenance schedules. Operate the bus safely through varied traffic conditions, weather, and terrain while maintaining compliance with the National Road Rules and Safe Work Australia guidelines. Navigate assigned routes using GPS systems, route maps, or navigation software to maintain schedule adherence and inform passengers of stops. Collect fares, validate passenger tickets, or process contactless payments using onboard ticketing systems and manage cash floats where applicable. Assist passengers boarding and alighting, including assisting people with mobility aids, prams, and luggage in accordance with disability access requirements. Monitor passenger behaviour and enforce rules regarding conduct, seatbelt use, and hazardous items in compliance with transport operator policies. Communicate with dispatch or control centres via radio to report delays, vehicle breakdowns, incidents, or route deviations. Complete vehicle logbooks, trip sheets, and incident reports as required by transport operators and Australian transport authorities.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The pay ceiling is low and unlikely to increase much over your career. You'll also deal with aggressive or abusive passengers regularly, verbal conflict is part of the job, and you're stuck sitting for 8 to 10 hours a day with limited breaks. Shift work including early starts, nights, and weekends is standard. Your knees and back take a beating.

Rural and remote areas have fewer jobs but less competition. Public transport is employer-heavy in cities where population density supports frequent services.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 7312, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Adhere to transportation work schedulecore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Clean road vehiclescore
• Conflict De-escalationcore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Apply conflict management
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Complaint Handling
• Delivery Scheduling
• Disability Awareness and Inclusion
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
• Multitasking
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Bus Driver workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026