Bus Drivers (Transit and Intercity) build operation and control, operations monitoring and time management skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Subway and Streetcar Operators (93%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | 93% | $86,380 | +46% | None |
| 2 | Locomotive Engineers | 80% | $81,410 | +38% | None |
| 3 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 79% | $68,840 | +17% | None |
| 4 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 78% | $78,000 | +32% | None |
| 5 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 74% | $60,600 | +3% | None |
| 6 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | 72% | $57,700 | −2% | None |
| 7 | Flight Attendants | 70% | $63,580 | +8% | None |
| 8 | Firefighters | 69% | $59,280 | 0% | None |
| 9 | Postal Service Mail Carriers | 69% | $60,550 | +3% | None |
| 10 | Transportation Security Screeners | 69% | $66,770 | +13% | None |
Compared with Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity, median $59,050. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as bus drivers (transit and intercity) (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
93% skill match · $86,380 · +46% pay
Operations Analysis · Equipment Selection · Complex Problem Solving
80% skill match · $81,410 · +38% pay
Quality Control Analysis · Operations Analysis · Troubleshooting
79% skill match · $68,840 · +17% pay
Coordination · Systems Evaluation · Quality Control Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Subway and Streetcar Operators (93% skill match, median $86,380), Locomotive Engineers (80% skill match, median $81,410) and Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers (79% skill match, median $68,840), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 11 pay more than bus drivers (transit and intercity) at the median. The biggest increases: Commercial Pilots (+109%, $123,220), Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (+57%, $92,460) and Transit and Railroad Police (+53%, $90,230).
21 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.