# Will AI replace bus drivers? Updated October 2026 Bus drivers score 28 of 100 for AI exposure. 73% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 16% today and speed up another 11%. - **16%** AI can do it - **11%** AI helps - **73%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 66% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 14 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 2 and leaves 10 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Announce stops to passengers. GPS-triggered announcement software already handles most stop calls. | 70% AI can do it | | Record information, such as cash receipts and ticket fares, and maintain log book. Digital farebox and log data can be recorded and reconciled by software. | 70% AI can do it | | Report delays or accidents. AI can draft delay and incident reports; driver still reports. | 45% AI helps | | Read maps to plan bus routes. Route planning software and AI can assist map reading and planning. | 40% AI helps | | Collect tickets or cash fares from passengers. Handling cash and tickets is in person; fareboxes and apps cover some. | 20% Needs a person | ## How bus drivers compare All occupations (923) Transportation and material moving (52) **Bus drivers score 28**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 25 for transportation and material moving. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $59,050 a year, May 2025 People employed 159,240 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +4.1% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Drive a 40-foot bus through live traffic on fixed timetables - Run pre-trip inspections on fluids, tires, and brakes - Handle fare disputes and cash reconciliation at the farebox - Help riders with disabilities board using wheelchair lifts and ramps - Write incident reports after delays or accidents - Hold a valid commercial driver's license with passenger endorsement ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Taxi drivers27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/taxi-drivers/) - [Subway operators26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/subway-operators/) - [School bus drivers25 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/school-bus-drivers/) - [Truck drivers27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/truck-drivers/) - [Locomotive engineers22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/locomotive-engineers/) ## Questions about bus drivers and AI Will bus drivers be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours of a bus driver's time go to tasks AI can already do, mostly announcing stops and recording fares and log data. Driving in traffic, inspecting the vehicle, and helping riders on and off the bus stay with people because they need a person physically present. Which tasks of bus drivers is AI taking over? Stop announcements and log recording are the most exposed, with exposure scores of 70 each. GPS-triggered announcement software already calls most stops, and digital fareboxes and log data can be recorded and reconciled without manual entry. Incident reports are also partly drafted by AI, at an exposure score of 45. Which tasks of bus drivers stay human? Driving the route, parking at loading areas, and loading baggage stay human, with exposure scores of 4, 3, and 5. Each needs hands on a steering wheel, a bus, or a suitcase. Pre-departure inspections score 10, since checking fluids and parts is physical work. How can bus drivers stay valuable as AI takes over more tasks? Focus on the work that needs hands and judgment, such as safe driving in traffic and pre-trip vehicle checks. Learn the digital farebox and dispatch tools so you can review and correct the data they produce. Keep your commercial driver's license and passenger endorsement current, and build skill in wheelchair lift operation and assisting riders with disabilities. ## Related jobs - [Chauffeurs30 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/chauffeurs/) - [School bus monitors28 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/school-bus-monitors/) - [Light truck drivers32 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/light-truck-drivers/) - [Reservation agents60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/reservation-agents/) ## Next steps for bus drivers - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.