School Bus Driver

School bus drivers transport students to and from school and on school activities. They ensure adherence to safety rules and may assist passengers in boarding or exiting.

All 50 states and D.C. license school bus drivers. On average, these laws require $112 in fees, 300 days of education and experience, and around six exams—the 37th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because school bus drivers are licensed everywhere, the occupation ranks as the sixth most widely and onerously licensed.

While every state requires between six and eight exams and sets a minimum age of 18, 19 or 21 years, other requirements vary. For example, Florida requires five years of driving experience and 40 hours of pre-service coursework (about 1,834 days), but 10 states require no education or experience. Fees range from $18 in New Mexico to $260 in Nevada.

Burden Rank	State	States Licensed	Fees	Estimated Calendar Days Lost	Education	Experience	Exams	Minimum Grade	Minimum Age
1	Florida	51	$62.00	1,834	40 clock hours	5 years	6	0	18
2	Montana	51	$26.00	1,825	-	5 years	6	0	18
3	West Virginia	51	$161.25	1,106	40 clock hours	3 years and 12 clock hours	7	12	21
4	Rhode Island	51	$180.00	1,097	10 clock hours	3 years	7	0	21
5	Alaska	51	$189.75	1,097	10 clock hours	3 years	6	0	21
6	New Jersey	51	$171.00	1,095	-	3 years	6	0	21
7	Massachusetts	51	$200.00	1,107	28 clock hours	3 years and 32 clock hours	6	0	18
8	Ohio	51	$205.00	735	15 clock hours	2 years and 12 clock hours	6	0	21
9	Georgia	51	$115.00	734	24 clock hours	2 years	6	0	18
10	New Hampshire	51	$100.00	732	10 clock hours	2 years	6	0	18
11	Washington	51	$170.00	373	36 clock hours	1 years	6	0	21
12	Indiana	51	$153.00	370	20 clock hours	1 years and 12 clock hours	6	0	21
13	Hawaii	51	$165.00	365	-	1 years	6	0	21
14	Oregon	51	$239.00	368	-	1 years and 15 clock hours	6	0	18
15	Utah	51	$114.00	365	-	1 years	6	0	21
16	Maine	51	$89.00	365	1 years	-	6	0	21
17	Arizona	51	$57.00	371	14 clock hours	1 years and 20 clock hours	7	0	18
18	Kansas	51	$62.00	367	-	1 years and 12 clock hours	6	0	21
19	Idaho	51	$148.00	367	10 clock hours	1 years	6	0	18
20	Delaware	51	$40.00	368	12 clock hours	1 years and 6 clock hours	6	0	18
21	North Carolina	51	$190.00	185	3 days	6 months	6	0	18
22	Alabama	51	$81.25	3	16 clock hours	-	8	0	21
23	Nevada	51	$259.75	3	10 clock hours	10 clock hours	6	0	21
24	D C	51	$236.00	0	-	-	6	0	21
25	South Carolina	51	$23.00	5	20 clock hours	10 clock hours	8	0	18
26	Louisiana	51	$126.00	9	30 clock hours	14 clock hours	6	0	21
27	Kentucky	51	$135.00	4	25 clock hours	-	6	0	21
28	Connecticut	51	$140.95	2	10 clock hours	-	6	0	21
29	Colorado	51	$132.30	0	-	-	6	0	21
30	Illinois	51	$114.00	0	-	-	6	0	21
31	Vermont	51	$231.00	0	-	-	6	0	18
32	Maryland	51	$90.00	3	6 clock hours	9 clock hours	6	0	21
33	Tennessee	51	$59.00	0	-	-	6	0	21
34	New York	51	$50.00	0	2 clock hours	-	6	0	21
35	Arkansas	51	$92.00	4	24 clock hours	-	6	0	19
36	South Dakota	51	$145.00	0	-	-	6	0	18
37	Wisconsin	51	$129.00	0	-	-	6	0	18
38	California	51	$99.00	7	20 clock hours	20 clock hours	6	0	18
39	Texas	51	$84.00	3	20 clock hours	-	6	0	18
40	Wyoming	51	$85.00	0	-	-	6	0	18
41	Missouri	51	$80.00	1	8 clock hours	-	6	0	18
42	Mississippi	51	$77.00	1	8 clock hours	-	6	0	18
43	Iowa	51	$72.00	3	15 clock hours	-	6	0	18
44	Michigan	51	$70.00	3	18 clock hours	-	6	0	18
45	Oklahoma	51	$56.50	4	19 clock hours	5 clock hours	6	0	18
46	Virginia	51	$33.00	8	24 clock hours	24 clock hours	6	0	18
47	Pennsylvania	51	$34.50	3	14 clock hours	6 clock hours	6	0	18
48	North Dakota	51	$41.00	0	-	-	6	0	18
49	New Mexico	51	$18.00	8	36 clock hours	-	6	0	18
50	Minnesota	51	$39.25	0	-	-	6	0	18
51	Nebraska	51	$33.50	2	11 clock hours	-	6	0	18