Beechnut
In the first year,depending on location,you can make between $30,000 to $37000 per year. They start everyone out at $16.70 per driving hour, it's just a matter of how busy your base is.
You start out on the extra-board,that's the equivalent of being on reserve at an airline. You will go to every location normally served by your particular base. You will cover people who are sick or in case where more than one bus is needed on a schedule,you will cover those runs. When you arrive at your destination,you will call dispatch on their 800#,they will tell you to either stay at the hotel and get rested for a future opening that they anticipate,or they will allow you to go home as a passenger.They pay you $9.86 per hour while you are sitting down doing nothing going home. That's the only time you don't mind breaking down since you are on the clock until that bus pulls in.If you are the driver, you are paid the average time it takes to complete the run. Not exactly from the time you leave,until the time you arrive. Unfair we know!! When you arrive home ,you are back on the list,you are allowed your usual rest,then you are on call. You can determine when you will be called,but that takes some longer explaining. I can tell you that you will not have any fixed days off or fixed schedule,while you are on the extra-board.However, you are allowed to book off whenever you want.Your choice,the only thing they ask us for is to understand when the peek periods are.
Besides,when it is very busy,that's when you make money. When it is slow, they wouldn't care if you elected to not work in one week. You are pretty much an independent contractor. No boss when you are on the road, you are the PIC. You get your ocassional weirdos on your bus, there are communication breakdowns with dispatch, but for the most part, it is still a good job. Down the road (no pun intended), you will make $17.80 your second year, $18 something the third. top off at $20.25 your fifth year. The most you could dream of is $45-$50k for the rest of your life even when you hold a line, and that could take some time,(LAX)Currently 5 years to hold a line that pays about $30k,working 6 days a week!! Takes about 10 years to hold a well paying line. Up until then you will be working at different times,days, making quality of life an issue for some.You have to go with the flow, and understand the nature of the transportation business in that it changes constantly.
To sum it up, good job, especially for those who aren't office types like us, I also feel it is good training for future captains like us (not the flying part obviously). This job teaches you to operate with standard operating procedures,how to balance regulation compliance while still meeting passenger and company needs. You are responsible to to determine roadworthiness of your equipment, you must learn to be tactfull with mechanics, customer service,and professional in front of your passengers.(you don't have a cockpit door to hide under if you mess up and most people know the rules of the road and they will criticize you if they felt you were not safe and report you.) I have not had any of those problems.The greatest feeling for me is pulling into the gate(airport or bus depot) and knowing you did your job and re-united people with their family,friends, and co-workers after the rain, snow,fog etc...
Look into it, just realize it won't add any flight hours to your logbook. Good luck ,if you need more info let me know!