Reading School District School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. Zum hires and trains School Bus Drivers for Reading, and CDL training costs you nothing.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Pennsylvania CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Reading School District is the fourth-largest district in Pennsylvania, serving Berks County with roughly 16,500 students across more than 20 schools. Its bus service runs through private contractors, led by Zum on a five-year contract (2024-25 through 2028-29) covering 64 routes, with Durham, Atlas, BCIU, and BARTA handling other transportation. Zum set a launch hiring target of 120 drivers and attendants, and it keeps an active School Bus Driver posting for Reading. Demand for qualified drivers is ongoing.
The district itself does not hire bus drivers. You apply to the contractor, and the contractor hires, trains, and pays you. You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply: Zum trains applicants without a CDL, and the program takes about six weeks from regular license to licensed School Bus Driver. This page covers how the Reading hiring process works, what the pay and schedule look like, and which details to confirm with Zum before you commit.
Reading 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 Reading, PA
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Reading School District.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Pennsylvania sets 18 as the minimum age to drive a school bus, with no state minimum for driving experience. Each employer sets its own, so confirm Zum's current requirement. You need a valid Pennsylvania driver's license and a driving record that meets the contractor's safe-driver standards. DUIs, serious moving violations, and license suspensions are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required.
Apply to Zum, not the district
Reading School District contracts its bus service, so you apply through the contractor's portal at ridezum.com/careers/bus-depot. Search for the title "School Bus Driver" and submit the full online application. Certify your driving and employment history accurately; the screening will find anything you leave out. Durham, Atlas, BCIU, and BARTA also provide some Reading transportation and hire separately.
Interview by phone or virtually
Interviews run by phone or virtually, and you can walk into a Transportation compound between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire. Zum's Reading depot is at 2525 12th Street, Reading, PA 19601. Current hiring runs through online postings, so check the careers page for any job fairs.
Clear the screenings after your offer
A conditional offer triggers the pre-employment screening: Pennsylvania's three clearances (Act 34 State Police record, Act 151 child abuse history, Act 114 FBI fingerprints), a DOT 5-panel drug screen, a DOT physical, and Pennsylvania's annual DL-704 school bus driver physical. Who pays for the clearances was not published for Reading. If you cover them yourself, budget roughly $22, $23, and $13.
Earn your CDL through Zum's training
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements. Zum's program is usually about six weeks: roughly two weeks of classroom instruction, then range and road training, and the program satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. CDL tuition is $0 to you. Private Class B tuition runs $2,000 to $4,000. Whether trainee hours are paid at a set rate is not published, so confirm it before you plan around it.
Ride with a trainer, then drive solo
After you pass the three-part skills test in a School Bus, you ride routes with an experienced trainer until you know your route, then drive solo. Pennsylvania requires at least 20 hours of initial training (14 classroom, 6 in-bus), plus CPR and first aid. Drivers then recertify every four years. Regular assignments run about 180 days with a 5-hour daily minimum.
What's in the full Reading 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 Reading School District guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Reading 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 Reading 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.
Reading School District bus driver questions
Does Reading School District hire its own School Bus Drivers?
No. The district contracts its bus service to private operators, with Zum as the main contractor. You are a Zum employee, not a district employee, so you apply, get trained, and get paid through Zum. That also means you are in the contractor's 401(k) with medical, dental, and vision coverage, not the public-school retirement system (PSERS). Drivers are represented by the Teamsters.
What does a School Bus Driver in Reading earn, and how many hours?
Zum's most recent Reading listing shows $25.76 to $34.40 per hour. The district does not publish a step schedule, so confirm the rate you are offered. The job is part-time on a school-year calendar: 25 hours per week guaranteed once you are driving, at least 5 hours per day, about 180 days a year, with summers, holidays, and breaks off. Field trips and activity runs can add hours.
Is there a sign-on bonus for Reading School Bus Drivers?
No bonus appears in the current Reading posting. Zum's $2,000 sign-on offer from the 2024 launch expired, and it applied to drivers who already held an air-brake CDL. Bonuses come and go with the shortage, so ask Zum directly whether any incentive is in effect for the 2026-27 school year before you accept an offer.
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 Reading School District.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.