Chesapeake City Public Schools School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. Chesapeake Public Schools advertises paid CDL training and posts School Bus Driver pay up to $35,349 a year.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Virginia CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Chesapeake City Public Schools (CPS) serves Virginia's third-most populous city in Hampton Roads and enrolls roughly 40,600 students in 48 schools, making it the seventh-largest district in Virginia. Its transportation operation is built around a fleet that published figures put at more than 580 buses, run from the Transportation office on Great Bridge Boulevard. local news reported Chesapeake pushing to fill bus driver and teacher vacancies, and CPS holds recurring job fairs to recruit School Bus Drivers.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. CPS advertises paid training and CDL training, and its postings state that applicants without a CDL can be trained to earn one. Virginia requires a Class B CDL with Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements, which CPS trains you to earn. CPS posts annual pay rather than an hourly rate and has not published its training length or who pays for screenings, so this page lays out what is published and what to confirm.
Chesapeake City 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 Chesapeake
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Chesapeake City Public Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Virginia sets 18 as the minimum age for School Bus Drivers, and each district sets its own experience standard, so confirm CPS's current requirement with Transportation. You need a driving record that meets the district's safe-driver standards. Virginia's DMV statement must show no DUI or drug conviction, no felony conviction, and no alcohol safety program assignment in the past 5 years, and no 2 or more moving violations in the past 12 months.
Apply online for "Bus Driver"
CPS posts openings at cpschools.com/jobs under the title "Bus Driver." Positions stay open until filled, so apply when you see one. CPS also runs "One Stop Job Fair" events for bus drivers and other support roles at the School Administration Building on Kristina Way; bring two forms of ID.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
CPS offers virtual and phone interviews, and you can walk in to the Transportation compound between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire. The Transportation office is open Monday through Friday, starting at 4:00 a.m. Be ready to show you will show up every day, drive safely, and stay calm around children.
Clear the post-offer screenings
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint criminal history check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange to the FBI, a DOT drug screen, and a DOT physical. Virginia also requires an annual school bus driver physical on the state form and a good-moral-character statement signed by two reputable people. CPS has not published who pays for the screenings, so ask Transportation first.
Earn your CDL through CPS paid training
CPS advertises paid training and CDL training for School Bus Drivers, and trainees are paid hourly while they train. Classroom instruction runs about two weeks before you get behind the wheel. Virginia requires non-CDL applicants to complete at least 24 hours of classroom and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training before carrying students, and the CPS program satisfies federal entry-level driver training.
Complete training and start your route
After you pass the three-part CDL skills test in a School Bus, you ride routes with experienced trainers until you know yours, then drive solo. Full-time operators move into 180-day assignments of at least 6 hours a day. Virginia adds two in-service sessions of at least 2 hours each year.
What's in the full Chesapeake City 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 Virginia CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Chesapeake City Public Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Chesapeake City 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 Chesapeake City 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.
Chesapeake City Public Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply for a School Bus Driver job in Chesapeake?
No. CPS advertises paid training and CDL training, and its postings state that applicants without a CDL can be trained to earn one. The program takes you from a regular driver's license to a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements.
How much do Chesapeake School Bus Drivers make?
The current CPS posting lists $21,313 to $35,349 per year for the full-time, non-exempt role. CPS does not state hours per day or an hourly rate in the posting, so confirm your daily hours and rate with Transportation at 757-547-1617 before you apply. Trainees are paid hourly during training; the training rate is not published.
What benefits come with the job, and is there a union?
Full-time contracted drivers receive medical, dental, pharmacy, and Virginia Retirement System benefits, with no weekends. The 2026-27 supplements schedule includes a $1,500 Lead Bus Driver supplement and classified education supplements of $100 per 6-credit-hour block, up to $400. CPS has not authorized collective bargaining for bus drivers, and no current sign-on bonus was found.
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 Chesapeake City Public Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.