Richland County, SC: school bus driver pay side by side

3 employers that hire school bus drivers in Richland County. Click a column to sort. A blank cell means the source doesn't say, and we don't guess.

Best starting pay

$21.02/hr

Richland School District Two

Lowest starting pay

$18.22/hr

Lexington-Richland School District Five ($2.80/hr less)

Highest top of scale

$31.47/hr

Richland School District Two

EmployerStart $/hrvs county best startvs BLS metro medianTop $/hrSign-on bonusPaid CDL trainingGuaranteed hoursSummer paySource / date
Richland School District Two
District · Richland County (Columbia NE)
$21.02county best+$3.25$31.47$1,500 sign-onnot statednot stated
183 days, 7 hours a day
not stated2026-27 Student Transportation Specialist (bus) salary schedule
WIS-TV (third-party news)
2026-27 · checked 2026-10-30
Lexington-Richland School District Five
District · Lexington & Richland Counties (Irmo/Chapin)
$18.22−$2.80+$0.45$28.19not statedYesnot stated
180 days
not statedDistrict Five job board
2026-27 · checked 2026-10-30
Richland School District One
District · Richland County (Columbia)
not publishednot statednot statednot publishedUp to $2,000 sign-onYes30 hrs/weeknot statedCareer opportunities page
Classified incentives page
2026-27 · checked 2026-10-30

Context: the BLS median for school bus drivers in the Columbia, SC metro area is $17.77/hr (OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-3051). It covers the whole metro, not just this county. BLS source.

Rates come from different school years and postings (see each source), so treat small gaps with care. Third-party figures, such as news reports and salary sites, are labeled in the source name.

See all South Carolina districts ranked: South Carolina school bus driver pay by district.

Other South Carolina counties

Spartanburg County, SC7 employersLexington County, SC5 employersYork County, SC4 employersRichland County, SC3 employersCharleston County, SC2 employersChester County, SC1 employerGreenville County, SC1 employerLancaster County, SC1 employer

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