School Bus Driver Resume: Example, Tips & Job Description

The responsibility you carry is immense. If your school bus driver resume doesn’t hold much water, you’ll be seen as the driver most likely to send 50+ kids careening off the side of a hill. How do you prevent that?

A good-looking resume template is a start. Then, you kick things into high gear by checking the right boxes in the right places on your school bus driver resume.

Fasten your seatbelt and scoot over to the passenger seat. We’ll get you where you need to go.

This guide will show you:

• A school bus driver resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a school bus driver resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a school bus driver resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a school bus driver to get hired at any school you pick.

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Targeting other driving jobs? Check the resume samples below:

• Driver Resume Sample
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• 500+ Best Resume Examples for Every Profession 

School Bus Driver Resume Example

This is how to write a school bus driver resume to get hired:

1. Format Your School Bus Driver Resume Correctly

School bus drivers drive kids to and from school, adhering to safety measures on the roads, being on time, and maintaining a friendly attitude. Your school bus driver resume needs to show you’re confident but not cocky on the road, can pay attention to detail, and are a well-organized individual.

Add to that a moderately growing demand for school bus drivers, and you’ve got a pretty tough task ahead of you. But don’t worry, we’ll go through it stop-by-stop… I mean, step-by-step. 

The first stop on your route is getting your resume in proper shape:

• Before you even start your engine, pick a resume layout. There are many resume types to choose from, but the reverse-chronological resume format covers all bases most efficiently. It basically involves listing your most recent experience first, and then working your way back. 
• Of course, mention your current contact information on your resume, in a separate resume header.
• Maintain a 1–1.15 line spacing and double it when introducing a new resume section.
• Keep your resume margins in check. One inch on each side.
• Go for a legible resume font at 12pt like Arial or Cambria.
• What is the perfect resume length? Two-page resumes exist, sure, but in 99.999% of cases, you’ll want to keep your resume down to a single page.

Read more: What Should a Resume Look Like?

2. Work on Your School Bus Driver Resume Profile

Picking a resume profile requires some thought. After all, it’s one of the most decisive factors when it comes to your success. How? Recruiters will, on average, spend just 7 seconds looking through your application.

As the saying goes, if it doesn’t catch their eye, you can kiss your job goodbye.

To prevent that, write a resume summary if you’ve been a school bus driver for more than 2 years already. Highlight achievements such as an accident-free record or commendations from the principal, and drive home the point that you’re a seasoned veteran behind the wheel.

If it’s your first time applying for a job like this, the choice to go with in that case is a resume objective. Mention the skills you acquired in other jobs, and other advantages that work in your favor, such as punctuality or friendly attitude.

Pro Tip: Writing a resume introduction often causes a mental traffic jam. You may want to take a detour and proceed with writing the other sections first, then coming back here.

3. Invest in a Proper School Bus Driver Work Experience Section

Writing your resume’s work experience section is easy.

Writing a great work experience section is a bit of a trickier road to navigate.

Here’s how to do it the right way:

• Following reverse chronology, include your most recent job first, and count back from there.
• State your past job titles, company names & dates worked there. For each entry, in up to 5 or 6 bullet points, describe your tasks and major achievements.
• Avoid listing irrelevant experience. That’s like running a stop sign by a school zone.
• Your descriptions should contain powerful, engaging verbs like “performed”, “increased”, or “limited”, and include numbers to give extra context.
• Each time you decide to send an application, tailor your resume to the job ad and the school at hand. Never send generic resumes!

Pro Tip: Your resume bullet points should also ideally refer to the skills you’re about to include in a separate section (we’re getting to that).

4. Mention Your Education on Your Resume

Driving a school bus doesn’t require a doctorate from the School Bus Driver’s college, sure.

But you still have to mention something. Skipping it altogether is a no-go.

• If you’re really experienced, you can limit yourself to just the school name, graduation year of attendance, and your highest completed degree.
• With less than that, you’re sure to benefit from elaborating on your resume education section. That is, including major high school/university wins, such as student association memberships, competitions you’d won, or other, similar things. Mention your GPA on your resume only if it was 3.5 or higher. 

Read more: How to Put Your Degree on a Resume

Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.

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5. Demonstrate Valuable School Bus Driver Skills

Getting the most out of your skills section involves both tailoring it to the school’s particular needs and cleverly weaving them into your job description, as referenced before.

Knowing what skills actually to put in there should never be a guessing game, though. Here’s how to go about it:

• Assemble a list of all your professional skills. Include both soft skills and hard skills, plus all others that come to mind.
• Look at the job advertisement, and search for the resume keywords the school highlights as the primary qualifications they seek in their drivers.
• Compare those skills with your list. Those that match should make their way onto your resume.

Here’s a referential list of school bus driver skills that doesn’t skip a beat:

School Bus Driver Resume Skills

• Safe Driving
• Adjusting Route to Current Traffic & Weather
• First Aid
• Vehicle Safety & Maintenance
• Repairs
• Disciplining Children
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Bus Conduct
• Record Maintenance
• Knowledge of Traffic Laws
• Accident-Free Record
• Punctuality
• Politeness & Friendly Attitude
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Time Management
• Reliability

Read more: Top Traits that Employers Look for When Hiring New Employees

6. Mix It Up With Extra Resume Sections

Your resume should show plenty of character and passion. That’s a good way to elevate your standing in the eyes of the school recruiting staff.

They don’t want a grumpy old bore taking kids to school!

Things that you can include on your resume for that purpose include ideas such as hobbies and interests, special achievements or projects, volunteer work, awards received, or language skills.

In particular, remember that you have to have been granted a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), which, among many tests and evaluations, will be required of you.

Pro Tip: A great section to separate from all others involves certifications for the operation of other types of vehicles. Even if their main purpose has little or nothing to do with passenger transport!

7. Include a Cover Letter with Your School Bus Driver Resume

Everyone, school bus drivers included, needs a cover letter to increase chances of success.

However, a scruffy cover letter written on your lap at the back of the bus like 11th grade English lit homework will only get you an F.

This is how to write a proper cover letter:

• Pick a spiffy-looking, modern cover letter template to make sure you stick to the recommended cover letter format.
• Select a reasonable cover letter font—you can simply use the same one as on your resume. 
• The first paragraph of your cover letter needs to mention how you discovered the job vacancy, what drew you to it, and then transition into why you’re the one to fill it.
• Then, take a right turn and elaborate on more details that make you the right fit in the body.
• Finally, pull up to your destination, and end the cover letter with a call to action. Include a postscript to catch their attention one last time.

That’s it, really. And if you’re curious about the best cover letter length to go with, it’s suggested to stick to one page and no more than 4 paragraphs.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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And we’ve arrived! 

Nobody’s going to skim over a school bus driver resume that good!

Thanks for reading. Still not sure about something to do with writing your school bus driver resume? Need some advice on the finishing touches on your school bus driver job description? Let us know in the comments section below, we’re ready to chat!

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Sources

• https://learn.org/articles/School_Bus_Driver_Jobs_Your_Salary_and_Career_Questions_Answered.html
• https://nasdpts.org/resources/Documents/Paper-Drivers2000.pdf