School Is Back. North Atlanta Districts Are Still Hiring Bus Drivers
Fulton, Forsyth, and Gwinnett schools are hiring bus drivers with starting pay between $21 and $24 an hour, offering paid training and benefits. Drivers work morning and afternoon routes aligned with the student calendar.
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Fulton, Forsyth and Gwinnett school systems are recruiting drivers, with starting pay ranging from $21.02 to $24.13 an hour and training available for applicants without a commercial driver’s license.
The buses are already rolling across North Atlanta, but the region’s three major school systems continue to offer one of the area’s more accessible public-sector job opportunities: driving students to and from school.
Fulton County Schools, Forsyth County Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools are all accepting applications. The jobs generally follow the student calendar and include morning and afternoon routes, leaving a break in the middle of the day.
That schedule will not suit everyone. For parents, retirees, second-career workers and others looking for school-day employment, however, it can offer steady hours, benefits and a path to commercial-driver training.
Classes began Aug. 3 in Fulton, Aug. 5 in Gwinnett and Aug. 6 in Forsyth. The continued recruiting does not necessarily mean routes are going uncovered; school systems routinely maintain an applicant pool for regular drivers, substitutes, assistants and future vacancies.
What the three districts are paying
| School system | Starting driver pay | Experienced rate | Key details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County Schools | $24.13 an hour | Up to $27.80 | Paid training; six hours a day qualifies as full time |
| Forsyth County Schools | $21.02 an hour | Up to $34.37 | Higher steps depend on credited experience |
| Gwinnett County Public Schools | $22.44 an hour | More than $31 | Fully paid CDL training; most drivers work six to eight hours daily |
The figures are hourly rates, not directly comparable annual salaries. Actual earnings depend on assigned hours, the school calendar, experience credit and opportunities to take field trips or other additional work.
Fulton County Schools offers the highest starting rate of the three districts: $24.13 an hour, including for applicants who do not already have a commercial driver’s license. The district provides paid training.
Drivers work six hours a day and are considered full-time employees, making them eligible for benefits. Applicants with verified passenger-transportation experience may enter at a higher step, with pay reaching $27.80 an hour.
Fulton is also hiring transportation assistants who work with students but do not drive. Those positions begin at $18.92 an hour and can pay as much as $22.95 based on qualifying experience.
Forsyth County Schools begins bus drivers at $21.02 an hour under its newly adopted 2026-27 compensation schedule. The rate rises gradually with credited experience, reaching $34.37 for employees placed at the 27-year-and-above level.
Forsyth is also seeking bus monitors. The district’s current schedule places those jobs between $16.71 and $28.36 an hour. Applicants hired after the annual work term begins receive prorated compensation based on the remaining workdays and payroll cycles.
Gwinnett County Public Schools starts drivers at $22.44 an hour and advertises experienced pay exceeding $31. Most drivers receive six to eight hours of guaranteed daily work, with opportunities to earn more through field trips and other assignments.
Gwinnett provides fully paid CDL instruction and testing, a training package the district values at more than $2,100. Applicants must be at least 21, have a good driving record and submit work history and a reference from a previous supervisor.
The district also allows drivers whose school-aged children attend GCPS to bring them on the bus when they attend a school within the driver’s assigned zone.
A recruiting session is coming Tuesday
Gwinnett will hold its next virtual bus-driver job fair at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. Additional online sessions are scheduled for Aug. 25 and each Tuesday in September.
Applicants can join through the links on the district’s bus-driver recruiting page. They may also call the transportation recruiting office at 678-225-7670 or text @drive4gcps to 81010 for job-fair notices.
Fulton applicants can review available transportation jobs through the district’s driver recruitment page. Forsyth applications are available through its Bus Drivers Wanted page.
For job seekers, the central tradeoff is the schedule: school transportation work often divides the day into early-morning and afternoon shifts. In return, drivers generally receive weekends, school holidays and summers off, while benefited positions can include health and retirement coverage.
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