Virginia Beach City Public Schools School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL required. VBCPS pays for your CDL training and hires year-round, starting at $21.92/hr.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Virginia CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Virginia Beach City Public Schools is the fourth-largest district in Virginia, enrolling roughly 64,731 students across 87 schools. The district puts approximately 650 school buses on the road every day and moves more than 60,000 students, about 19 percent of them from military-connected families. VBCPS accepts applications for bus drivers, bus assistants and substitutes throughout the year, which tells you how steady the demand is.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. VBCPS provides paid classroom and behind-the-wheel training that leads to your Virginia CDL, and the district pays for that training. The district has not published the length of the program or the hourly trainee rate. This page covers the real Virginia Beach process, what it costs you, and what the job pays.
Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Virginia sets 18 as the minimum age for School Bus Drivers and requires a driving record free of a DUI or drug conviction, a refused chemical test, or a felony in the past 5 years, and no two or more moving violations within 12 months. VBCPS sets its own experience standard, and many Virginia districts require age 21, so confirm it with HR. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required.
Apply online at vbschools.com/careers
Select the "Support/Classified/Trades" application type and apply for "Bus Driver." VBCPS accepts bus driver applications throughout the year. Certify your driving and work history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
VBCPS offers virtual and phone interviews, and you can walk in to the Office of Transportation Services at 1677 Harpers Road, Virginia Beach, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire. The transportation office number is 757-263-1000.
Clear the post-offer screenings
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint criminal history check through Virginia's Central Criminal Records Exchange to the FBI, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, and a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate. Virginia also requires its own annual school bus driver physical on the state form and a good-moral-character statement signed by two reputable people.
Earn your CDL through paid district training
You need a Class B CDL with Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements before you transport students. VBCPS trains applicants who do not have one and pays for the training, which covers the federal entry-level driver training requirement. You pass the written exams and the three-part skills test in a school bus. The program length and trainee hourly rate are not published.
Ride with a trainer, then drive your route
New drivers ride routes with experienced trainers until they know their assignment, then drive solo. Drivers work about 180 days a year on the school calendar, with summers and holidays off. Ask HR for the next training class start date.
What's in the full Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach City Public Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply to drive for VBCPS?
No. Virginia Beach City Public Schools states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get one, and the district pays for that training. If you already hold a Class B CDL with P and S endorsements, it helps, but it is not required.
How much do VBCPS School Bus Drivers make, and what are the hours?
The posted range is $21.92 to $39.38 per hour on the Unified Experience Based Step Pay Scale U13, and the district's careers page lists pay starting at $21 per hour or more. Your rate depends on verified, job-related creditable years of experience. Drivers work a 10-month, 180-day calendar, and the schedule is a split shift around school start and dismissal times.
Does VBCPS offer a sign-on bonus, and what are the benefits?
No sign-on, retention or training bonus is advertised on the careers page, so ask HR whether anything is active. Fully benefited drivers receive health and dental insurance, sick and personal leave, life insurance, disability coverage, tuition reimbursement and Virginia Retirement System membership. Virginia Beach has not authorized collective bargaining for bus drivers, though the Virginia Beach Public School Bus Drivers & Assistants Association advocates for them.
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 Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.