BUS DRIVER

There were 666,000 bus drivers in 2000, and the number is expected to grow at an annual rate of 1.7 percent through 2008, according to the Department of Labor. That number will change depending upon the region of the country. Texas, for example, is expecting a 13 percent annual increase in bus driving jobs through 2005. Given that the majority of driving jobs are for schools, over one-third of the positions are part-time, under forty hours a week. Two-thirds of the bus drivers in 2000 worked for school systems, while the remaining third worked in other roles.