Salary
Average Salary: $34,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,419,432
Money isn't everything.
That's a great perspective to have if you decide you want to drive a bus. The average hourly pay for a local transit or intercity bus driver and school bus driver is around $14.00 per hour (source). The bright side is: If you skipped college, you don't have any loans that will completely wipe out your salary. On the other hand, school bus drivers don't have a lot of room for salary leaps. Supplementing a regular school day route with driving for field trips is one way to build a little more bank.
The best-paying cities for bus drivers are: San Jose, California; Santa Cruz, California; Chicago, Illinois; New York City, New York; and Tacoma, Washington. Goody for you if you live in one of these cities (or are willing to move). Bus driver jobs in these areas pay between $51,000 and $55,000 a year (source). It still may not get you a fab vacation home, but if you settle in Santa Cruz, you're kind of sort of, like, almost in the Martha's Vineyard of the West Coast. Remember—it's all about perspective.