A bus driver, bus operator, or bus captain is a person who drives buses for a living.

Bus drivers must have a special license above and beyond a regular driver's license. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. Bus drivers often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach driver, is used for drivers on privately booked long-distance routes, tours, and school trips.

There are various types of bus drivers, including transit drivers, school bus drivers, intercity bus drivers, and tour bus drivers. Bus drivers may work for a city, public (state and national/federal) governments, school systems, and/or private enterprises, such as charter companies that run tour buses or arrange travel between cities for private groups. Bus drivers in Australia (referred to as "coach captains") are frequently freelance sub-contractors who work for various bus and coach companies.

When there is no conductor present, the driver is the sole operator and handles ticketing and interaction with customers, in addition to driving.

Requirements vary by country, but in general bus drivers are required to undergo more training than individuals driving a passenger automobile. For example, in the United States, all bus drivers are required to hold a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with P endorsement. Safe driving skills and the willingness to obey traffic laws and handle driving under a variety of weather and traffic conditions are essential, as passengers expect a safe trip, and the safety of those in other vehicles on the road is necessary.

New hires by companies are often oriented to their jobs by first riding along for one or more runs on a route, then driving the route under supervision of an experienced driver, or driving the route unsupervised without any passengers. After passing the training, most new hires will only work as backups until a permanent position can be offered.

An intercity bus driver is a bus driver whose duties involve driving a bus between cities. It is one of four common positions available to those capable of driving buses (the others being school, transit, or tour bus driving). Those hired as intercity bus are often expected to have prior experience in the operation of a commercial vehicle. This may include the operation of a municipal bus service, school buses, or trucks. Intercity bus drivers may be employed for public or private companies. It varies by country which is more common. But many countries have regulations on the training and certification requirements and the hours of intercity drivers.

Besides the actual operation of the bus, duties of the intercity bus driver include cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining the vehicle, doing simple repairs, checking tickets of passengers or in some cases, collecting fares, loading passengers on and off the bus efficiently, handling the passengers' luggage, enforcing guidelines expected from passengers (such as prohibiting yelling), and dealing with certain types of emergencies.