Downingtown Area School District School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed. Three Downingtown contractors hire and train you, with pay advertised from $23.75 to $28.50 an hour.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Pennsylvania CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Downingtown Area School District serves Downingtown borough and East Brandywine, East Caln, Upper Uwchlan, Uwchlan, Wallace, West Bradford, and West Pikeland townships in Chester County. It is the seventh-largest district in Pennsylvania, with about 13,100 students in 16 schools. The district owns no bus fleet and employs no drivers: its transportation is 100 percent contracted to three companies, Krapf Bus Company, On the Go Kids, and Wolfington, and all three advertise continuously.
So you apply to a contractor, not the district. All three hire applicants without a CDL and provide paid CDL training, and Krapf pays a $2,500 bonus to applicants who complete its company training. This page lays out the three employers, the pay each advertises, the part-time school-year schedule, and the questions to settle before you pick one.
Downingtown Area School District 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 Downingtown Area School District
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Downingtown Area School District.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
You need a valid driver's license, a driving record that meets the contractor's safe-driver standards, and the ability to earn a Pennsylvania Class B CDL with Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements. Pennsylvania sets the minimum age at 18 and no statewide experience minimum. DUIs, serious moving violations, and suspensions are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required.
Choose a contractor and apply directly
Downingtown posts no driver openings on its own portal. Krapf Bus Company (120 Springton Road, Glenmoore) takes applications at jobs@krapfbus.com or 484-999-2051. On the Go Kids (1045 Boot Road, Downingtown) takes applications at onthegokids.com or 610-873-7787. Wolfington (30 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton) hires through 610-321-6608. Compare pay, hours, and benefits before you choose.
Interview with the contractor
All three contractors hire continuously, and none was running a published job fair. Expect practical questions about reliability, safe driving, and handling students. The work is part-time split shifts, so confirm the weekly hours the specific posting guarantees.
Clear the post-offer screenings
After a conditional offer you complete three Pennsylvania clearances (Act 34 State Police, Act 151 child abuse history, Act 114 FBI fingerprints), a DOT 5-panel drug screen, a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate, and the annual Pennsylvania DL-704 school bus physical. Who pays the clearance costs was not published, so ask the contractor before you apply.
Earn your CDL in the contractor's paid training
All three companies hire with no CDL at entry and pay for CDL training, which also satisfies the federal Entry-Level Driver Training rule. Wolfington posts $15 an hour for CDL training; Krapf and On the Go Kids confirm paid training but have not published the trainee rate. None publishes the program length, so confirm the next class start. Krapf pays a $2,500 bonus to applicants who complete its company CDL training.
Ride with a trainer, then drive solo
After you pass the three-part skills test in a School Bus, you ride your route with an experienced trainer, then drive solo. Contractor drivers work part-time split shifts with summers off, and field and sports trips add hours. Drivers are contractor employees, so there is no district salary schedule.
What's in the full Downingtown Area School District 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 Pennsylvania CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Downingtown Area School District guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Downingtown Area School District 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 Downingtown Area School District 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.
Downingtown Area School District bus driver questions
Do I apply to Downingtown Area School District or to a contractor?
To a contractor. The district's transportation is fully contracted to Krapf Bus Company, On the Go Kids, and Wolfington, and drivers are their employees. The district's own transportation office at 610-269-8460 handles routing and parent questions but is not the employer.
How much do School Bus Drivers make in Downingtown?
The three contractors advertise $23.75 to $28.50 an hour: Krapf $23.75 to $28.25, On the Go Kids $24.50 to $28.00, and Wolfington $26.00 to $28.50. Wolfington posts $15 an hour for CDL training. Rates are set by each contractor and change, so confirm the live rate on the posting you apply to.
What benefits do the Downingtown contractors offer?
Krapf lists company-covered Teladoc, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, plus summer work and the option to bring your child on the bus. On the Go Kids lists employer-sponsored health care and a 401(k) with company match, with a year-round option. Wolfington lists health, dental, and vision for part-time employees and a 401(k) with company match. Drivers are not PSERS members, and no union was documented.
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 Downingtown Area School District.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.