Yonkers School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL and no tuition. The contractor hires you as a paid trainee and covers your commercial license.
🎁 Limited-time: + free New York CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Yonkers Public Schools is the 3rd-largest district in New York State, serving 22,646 students across 39 schools in Westchester County and transporting about 11,300 riders a day on roughly 464 buses and vans. Yonkers contracts 100 percent of its pupil transportation to private companies - it does not own or operate School Buses. The Hudson Valley has been hit hard by the national driver shortage, and the contractors are actively hiring, with sign-on bonuses as high as $5,000.
Here is what most people get wrong: you do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. The contractors hire applicants without a CDL, pay them hourly while they train, and cover the CDL training a private school would charge thousands for. This page lays out the real Yonkers process, what the job pays, and how to get hired.
Yonkers 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 Yonkers
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Yonkers.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
New York sets the minimum age for School Bus Drivers at 21. You need a valid New York driver's license, licensed driving experience that meets the standard, and a record that clears the safe-driver program - serious moving violations, DUIs, and license suspensions are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not strictly required.
Apply online for the School Bus Driver role
Because YPS contracts its bus service, you apply directly through the operator, not the district. Start at yonkerspublicschools.org and click through, or go straight to First Student's board at workatfirst.com, and search "School Bus Driver." Positions run open until filled, so apply promptly and have your driving and employment history ready to certify.
Interview
The contractors offer phone and virtual interviews, and accept walk-in applicants at their terminals. First Student hires year-round for its Yonkers location. Interviews are practical: they want to know you will show up, drive safely, and stay calm around students.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete New York's Article 19-A pre-employment package: a DMV-initiated fingerprint check, a three-state driving abstract, a medical exam, and a three-year employment investigation, plus a DOT drug screen and DOT physical. New York drivers are fingerprinted once through DMV, so ask the hiring contractor which clearance path applies before scheduling to avoid paying twice.
Earn your CDL at no cost as a paid trainee
School Bus Drivers need a New York Class B CDL with the passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements. You study the free New York CDL handbook, pass the written tests, and take the three-part skills test in a School Bus. The contractor's program satisfies the federal Entry-Level Driver Training rule, so you do not pay the $2,000-$4,000 a private school would charge - and you earn $17/hr while you learn.
Complete the 4-6 week paid training and start your route
Training typically runs about four to six weeks, paid. New York requires at least 4 hours of preservice safety instruction and a 30-hour Basic Course before you carry students. New drivers ride with trainers until they know the route, then move into a full 210-day school year with 30 guaranteed hours a week, minimum 6 hours a day, plus medical/dental/vision/life insurance and a 401(k) with company match through First Student.
What's in the full Yonkers 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 York CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Yonkers guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Yonkers 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 the district trains you toward your CDL.
The school calendar
This year's Yonkers 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.
Yonkers bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply in Yonkers?
No. The hiring materials state that applicants without a CDL can be trained to earn one, and the contractors provide paid CDL training with no experience necessary - $17.00 an hour while you train. If you already hold a Class B with the P and S endorsements that is a plus, but it is not required.
How much does the job pay, and is there a bonus?
First Student Yonkers postings show about $29.66 to $33.24 per hour after training and $17.00 per hour while training, with 30 guaranteed hours a week and 210 paid days a year. The company has advertised sign-on bonuses as high as $5,000. Confirm the current rate and bonus when you apply.
Who employs Yonkers School Bus Drivers?
Yonkers Public Schools contracts 100 percent of pupil transportation to private companies - it does not own or operate buses. Known contractors include First Mile Square, First Student, Royal Coach Lines (Beacon Mobility), and All County Bus. Drivers are contractor employees, with First Mile Square's workforce represented by TWU Local 100.
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 Yonkers.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.