Albuquerque Public Schools School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL required to apply. APS trains you for the license and starts School Bus Drivers at $26.26/hr.
🎁 Limited-time: + free New Mexico CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Albuquerque Public Schools is the largest district in New Mexico, enrolling roughly 74,792 students across 174 schools in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Its buses cover about 39,000 miles a day, close to 6 million miles a year, and the district runs its own transportation operation out of the APS Transportation Center on Menaul Blvd NE. APS has faced a persistent driver shortage and is actively hiring School Bus Drivers for the 2026-27 school year.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. APS states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get one, and the district's program takes you from a regular driver's license to a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements. APS has not published whether trainee hours are paid or how long the program runs, so this page tells you exactly what to confirm with Transportation before you plan around it. It also covers pay, the 204-day work year, and the full application path.
Albuquerque Public Schools 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 Albuquerque
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Albuquerque Public Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
You need a valid driver's license and a record that meets the APS safe-driver standards. Serious moving violations, DUIs, and license suspensions disqualify you. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required. New Mexico sets no minimum age for School Bus Drivers beyond the federal CDL floor of 18 for intrastate driving, and districts commonly set 21 or older, so confirm the current age requirement with Transportation.
Apply online for "Bus Driver"
APS posts openings through aps.edu. Search the Transportation postings for the title "Bus Driver". Postings stay open until filled, so apply as soon as you see one. Complete the full application and certify your driving and employment history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
APS offers virtual and phone interviews. You can also walk in to a Transportation compound between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire, or pre-apply online before a job fair. Interviewers want to know you will show up every day, drive safely, and handle children with patience and authority.
Clear the post-offer screenings
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint-based FBI criminal history check, a DOT drug screen, and a DOT physical that earns your Medical Examiner's Certificate. Under New Mexico law the public school pays for an applicant's fingerprint check. APS has not published who pays for the physical and drug screen, so ask Transportation up front.
Earn your CDL through the APS training program
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements. You do not need it to apply. APS trains and licenses you, and the district covers the CDL training itself. Classroom instruction runs about one week before you get behind the wheel, and the program satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. Whether trainee hours are paid and how many weeks the program runs are not published, so confirm both with Transportation before you plan around them.
Ride with a trainer, then drive your route
After you pass the three-part CDL skills test in a School Bus, you ride your route with an experienced trainer until you know it, then drive solo. Full-time drivers move into 204-day assignments with a minimum of 6 hours a day. Ongoing requirements include 8 hours of in-service training per semester, an annually printed driving record, and current first aid and CPR.
What's in the full Albuquerque Public Schools 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 New Mexico CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Albuquerque Public Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Albuquerque Public Schools 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 Albuquerque Public Schools 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.
Albuquerque Public Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to drive a School Bus for APS?
No. APS states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get a Commercial Driver's License. If you already hold a Class B with Passenger and School Bus endorsements, that helps, but it is not required to apply. The district's training program covers the Class B CDL and satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule.
How much do APS School Bus Drivers make?
The 2025-27 APS-AFCP negotiated agreement sets the bus driver scale (Schedule J-2) at $26.26 per hour to start, rising to $31.33 per hour at 23 or more years of service. Standby and Activity Drivers earn a $3.00 per hour differential on top of the scale rate plus an 8-hour work guarantee. Drivers work a 204-day year with district health coverage and the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board pension.
Does APS pay me while I train, and is there a hiring bonus?
APS has not published whether trainee hours are paid or how long the training program lasts, so confirm both with Transportation at (505) 880-3989 before you apply. No current sign-on, training, or attendance bonus for School Bus Drivers is documented either. Ask whether any incentive is in effect for the 2026-27 school year and when the next training class starts.
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 Albuquerque Public Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.