Bus driver to taxi driver
A bus driver already meets 60% of what the taxi driver role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.8/ 100
1 How much of what a taxi driver is expected to do is already part of a bus driver’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the taxi driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A taxi driver role treats 14 of its required skills as things a bus driver already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assist passengers
- communicate with customers
- drive in urban areas
- ensure vehicle operability
- handle petty cash
- lift heavy weights
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A taxi driver role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bus driver background worth leading with.
- already held organise vehicle breakdown support management skills
- already held tolerate sitting for long periods management skills
- already held transport topography services
- already held handle petty cash management skills
- already held ensure vehicle operability working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held assist passengers assisting and caring
All 15 carried skills, including the 14 the taxi driver role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn provide customers with price information required
- still to learn apply knowledge of human behaviour required
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- still to learn operate radio dispatch systems for taxis required
- still to learn park vehicles required
- optional, not held provide high-end driving services optional
- optional, not held provide private transport services optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- still to learn maintain vehicle appearance required
- still to learn tolerate stress required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- optional, not held maintain privacy of service users optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a taxi driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain vehicle appearance practise this
- 02 provide customers with price information practise this
- 03 tolerate stress practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held assist passengers skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held drive in urban areas skill
- already held ensure vehicle operability skill
- already held handle petty cash skill
- already held lift heavy weights skill
- already held mechanical components of vehicles knowledge
- already held operate GPS systems skill
- already held organise vehicle breakdown support skill
- already held read maps skill
- already held tolerate sitting for long periods skill
- already held transport topography knowledge
- already held use communication devices skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held perform services in a flexible manner skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held provide high-end driving services optional
- optional, not held provide private transport services optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held maintain privacy of service users optional
21 held skills the taxi driver role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adhere to transportation work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role assist disable passengers skill
- not needed by the target role clean road vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role communicate clearly with passengers skill
- not needed by the target role control the performance of the vehicle skill
- not needed by the target role ensure vehicles are equipped with accessibility equipment skill
- not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role focus on passengers skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role help to control passenger behaviour during emergency situations skill
- not needed by the target role interpret traffic signals skill
- not needed by the target role keep time accurately skill
- not needed by the target role manoeuvre bus skill
- not needed by the target role passenger transport regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform defensive driving skill
- not needed by the target role promote the use of sustainable transport skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role provide information to passengers skill
- not needed by the target role road traffic laws knowledge
- not needed by the target role stay alert skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn geographic areas required
Other moves recorded from bus driver
- tram driver 72% covered · moderate
- private chauffeur 61% covered · moderate
- cargo vehicle driver 55% covered · moderate
- school bus attendant 46% covered · moderate
- carriage driver 45% covered · moderate
- dangerous goods driver 44% covered · substantial
- passenger fare controller 41% covered · substantial
- armoured car driver 39% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a bus driver become a taxi driver?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A bus driver already covers 60% of what a taxi driver is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 14 of which the taxi driver role treats as required.
What skills does a bus driver need to become a taxi driver?
8 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is maintain vehicle appearance.
How hard is the move from bus driver to taxi driver?
Its learning distance is 43.8 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.