Bus or coach driver
Get people from one place to another safely on local, national or international bus journeys.
About the job
What it's like
You would take people from one place to another whether that’s just a few streets, between towns and cities or on a holiday.
It’s a responsible job; passengers will rely on you to get them to the right place as safely as possible.
You might transport passengers on local, national or overseas journeys.
You would travel along planned routes, making scheduled stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers.
You would:
Take fares and give tickets
Check transport passes
Give timetable or route information
Help passengers who are having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle
You could also work in community transport, where you would be driving schoolchildren, hospital patients and the elderly to their destinations.
If you are a coach driver you would do the same kind of work but the journeys would be longer. You could, for example, drive between cities, or drive people on day trips or holiday tours.
You would:
Load and unload luggage
Check tickets and passes
Make sure that all passengers are back on board for the return journey, and after any scheduled stops
You would be responsible for keeping the coach clean, doing basic vehicle checks before taking your vehicle out and reporting any incidents to inspectors back at the depot.
If you drive to overseas destinations you’d keep passengers up to date with travel information and work with foreign authorities, for example, when going through border controls.
You’d need excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations. Understanding health and safety issues would also be important.
Hours
There are regulations for weekly maximum driving hours. On local services you could work up to 48 hours a week on shifts, including evenings and weekends, between 6am and midnight. As a coach driver, you could drive for up to 56 hours a week, with a maximum of 90 hours over any two weeks.
Travel
If you take holiday tours, you could be away from home for several days at a time.
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Other careers that you might like
Large goods vehicle driver Delivery van driver Taxi driver Driving instructor
Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Transport Tourism
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- pre-trip and post-trip vehicle inspections
- commercial driving
- numerical analysis
- backlogs
- cash handling
- traffic regulations
- accident reporting
- school transport
- passenger transport
- tax returns
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- reliable
- time management
- attention to detail
- respecting
- working with numbers
- verbal communication
- reading
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Skills for Work: Automotive Skills
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this role but some employers may ask for qualifications at SCQF level 4/5.
Most employers value a good general education.
To start training with a company, you must hold a full EU driving licence and be aged at least 18. Some companies prefer to take on people who have held their driving licence for one or two years or who are aged over 21 (Check with them directly for details).
You could also train independently by taking private lessons through a local driving school. Once you have your licence, you could then contact bus and coach companies about vacancies.
You can apply for your provisional Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence through the .gov.uk website
Any qualifications and experience that demonstrate helping customers, navigation and driving abilities such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Bus and Coach Passenger Carrying Vehicle Driving (SVQ level 2) will be helpful.
Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence
Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC)
To get these, you must hold a full EU driving licence.
Find the right course for you
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Bus or coach driver'
