Savannah-Chatham County Public School System School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. SCCPSS pays you $13.65/hr as an intern while you earn the license, then about $20/hr.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Georgia CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is the tenth-largest district in Georgia, enrolling roughly 34,500 students across 61 academic locations in Savannah and Chatham County. The district's own staffing plan sets 220 drivers as the optimum, 256 to improve on-time arrival, and 342 to restore choice service, and it has reported dozens of open transportation positions. No 2026-27 driver shortfall figure is published, but the plan shows how much room the district has to hire.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. SCCPSS hires School Bus Driver Interns under a temporary training agreement of up to 90 days, pays a flat hourly rate, and trains you to earn your passenger and school bus endorsements. You do need a Georgia Class B CDL permit before training starts, and the district offers non-compensated permit classes. This page lays out the real Savannah-Chatham process and pay.
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System at a glance
The essentials, pulled from official sources. The full pay tables, the exact application walkthrough, and the school calendar are in the guide.
How to become a School Bus Driver in Savannah-Chatham
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Georgia sets the minimum age for a School Bus Driver at 18 and no state driving-experience minimum, so SCCPSS sets its own standard. Your driving record must meet the district's safe-driver program. Serious moving violations, DUIs, and license suspensions are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required.
Apply online for School Bus Driver Intern
Start at sccpss.com and click through to the district job board at savannahccs.tedk12.com. Search "School Bus Driver" and apply for the "School Bus Driver Intern" posting. Positions stay open until filled. Complete the full application and certify your driving and employment history accurately.
Interview and get your Class B CDL permit
Current interview details are unconfirmed, so call the Transportation line at 912-395-5591. After your interview and before training, you obtain a State of Georgia Class B CDL permit. Non-compensated permit classes are available through the Transportation Training Department. The Transportation facility is at 2219 Gamble Road, Savannah.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a GCIC and FBI fingerprint criminal record check, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate, and the annual GaDOE school bus driver physical. Your driving record is pulled, including any out-of-state history. Who pays these costs was not confirmed, so ask Transportation at hire.
Earn your endorsements as a paid intern
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (school bus) endorsements. The Intern agreement is a temporary training arrangement of up to 90 days to earn them, at $13.65 per hour flat. The full licensing timeline for new applicants runs about six weeks: classroom instruction, range and road training, and the three-part skills test. It satisfies the federal ELDT rule.
Finish route training and start driving
Georgia requires at least 24 hours of GaDOE-approved initial training before you transport students. You then ride routes with experienced trainers until you know yours and drive solo. Full-time drivers work 198-day assignments of at least 6 hours a day on Salary Schedule 106, with the state's PSERS retirement system.
What's in the full Savannah-Chatham County Public School System guide
35+ pages, twelve chapters, written in plain English — everything above in full detail, plus the parts that change year to year.
Right now, includes a free Georgia CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Savannah-Chatham County Public School System guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System pay scale, benefits, and the split-shift schedule — the numbers that decide if this fits your life.
The application, walked through
Exactly what to submit and which documents to attach, so you are not knocked out on a technicality.
The interview
The three things every interviewer is really asking, and what to highlight. (Free in the sample.)
Screenings & paid CDL training
Every screening after your offer, who pays for what, and how you are trained toward your CDL.
The school calendar
This year's Savannah-Chatham County Public School System calendar — work days, holidays, and breaks — so you know your real schedule.
Managing a bus full of kids
The passenger-management techniques veteran drivers swear by. (Also free in the sample.)
See inside before you buy
A few real pages from the manual — the interview and passenger-management chapters — so you can judge the quality yourself.
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply to drive for Savannah-Chatham schools?
No, but you do need a Georgia Class B CDL permit before training begins. SCCPSS hires School Bus Driver Interns, who have up to 90 days to earn the passenger and school bus endorsements, and the Transportation Training Department offers non-compensated permit classes. If you already hold a Class B with P and S endorsements, that helps but is not required.
How much do SCCPSS School Bus Drivers make, and are trainees paid?
Interns are paid $13.65 per hour flat during the training agreement. A licensed driver starts at $23,760 a year, about $20.00 per hour, on Grade E106, Step 1 of the 198-day schedule. The district does not publish its full step schedule, so confirm the live rate on the posting. No sign-on or retention bonus is currently advertised.
How big is the driver shortage at SCCPSS?
The district's staffing plan sets 220 drivers as the optimal level, 256 for on-time improvement, and 342 to restore choice service. It reported 88 vacancies across transportation functions, drivers through mechanics, and an on-time arrival rate of 76.54 percent then. No 2026-27 driver shortfall figure is published.
What's the free CDL study guide?
For a limited time, every district guide comes bundled with a free study guide for your state's CDL Passenger and School Bus endorsements — the two written tests you'll take. It covers exactly what's on those tests so you can pass the first time, at no extra cost.
Is this an official guide from the School District?
No. It is an independent preparation guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by any School District. It organizes the public information into one clear manual so you do not have to dig for it.
How do I get the guide after I pay?
Instantly. Checkout takes about a minute, then you get a download link on the screen and by email. It is a PDF you can open on any phone, tablet, or computer and keep.
Get hired in Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.