Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity: $35K vs $59K Median Pay

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity: what changes?

Consider Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians if you want to drive ambulance or assist ambulance driver in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons. Consider Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity if you would rather drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians and Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

National median pay (2025): $35,450
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Remove and replace soiled linens or equipment to maintain sanitary conditions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 1.3% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians brief

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

National median pay (2025): $59,050
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Drive vehicles over specified routes or to specified destinations according to time schedules, complying with traffic regulations to ensure that passengers have a smooth and safe ride.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 21,100

Know before you choose

Operating or riding in vehicles is a recurring part of the work rather than an occasional trip.

See the full Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity brief

How the national numbers differ

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on annual openings

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity is at 21,100 annual openings, compared with 1,400 annual openings for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians.

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on median pay

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity is at $59,050, compared with $35,450 for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians.

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on projected growth

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity is at 4.1% projected growth, compared with -1.3% projected growth for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians.

26.3/ 100

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

65.6/ 100

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Dimension	Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians	Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
Median pay (2025)	$35,450	$59,050
Pay percentile	3.4 percentile	46.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-1.3%	4.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,400	21,100
2025 employment	14,300	166,400
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians brief Read Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity brief

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

How the national numbers differ

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on annual openings

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on median pay

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on projected growth

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

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