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How much does a bus driver earn in Sweden?

Bus and tram drivers. 24,700 people employed in Sweden.

33,200SEK

per month is the median salary for a bus driver in Sweden in 2025. That is 13% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €2,950 / $3,400 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 26,681 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In the 2025 salary statistics, a bus driver earned 33,400 SEK a month on average in Sweden. The median salary is 33,200 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 30,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 36,500 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
33,400 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
30,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
36,500 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
24,700
In this job in Sweden

Bus and tram drivers work on scheduled routes, school transport, charter services and long-distance coaches. Driving a bus requires a category D licence and a Certificate of Professional Competence (YKB), which must be renewed at regular intervals. Training often takes place in adult education or on the vehicle and transport programme at upper secondary school. Public transport is generally procured by the regions and largely run by private operators, which then employ the drivers; pay differs mainly with experience and employer.

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among bus and tram drivers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

30,500 SEKLowest 10%33,200 SEKMedian36,500 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 32,000–34,800 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What bus and tram drivers earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 33,400 SEK 33,200 SEK 33,300 SEK 32,600 SEK
Private sector 33,400 SEK 33,200 SEK 33,300 SEK 32,600 SEK

Salary after tax

What bus and tram drivers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. Between the cheapest and the most expensive one the difference is several hundred kronor a month.

That is roughly 26,681 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 32,600 SEK before tax — roughly 26,228 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 36,500 SEK, which is roughly 29,170 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a bus driver

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a bus driver

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 38,000 Median pay Number
Men 33,300 SEK 21,800
Women 32,600 SEK 2,900

Women's average salary is 98% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Pay by age

Pay for bus and tram drivers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 32,600 SEK – – –
25–34 years 32,500 SEK 32,600 SEK 31,600 SEK 2,000
35–44 years 33,200 SEK 33,300 SEK 32,500 SEK 5,000
45–54 years 33,500 SEK 33,600 SEK 32,800 SEK 6,300
55–64 years 33,600 SEK 33,700 SEK 33,200 SEK 8,900

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education less than 9 years (ISCED97 1) 33,400 SEK 33,400 SEK – 1,200
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 33,500 SEK 33,500 SEK 32,900 SEK 2,300
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 33,400 SEK 33,400 SEK 33,100 SEK 10,000
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 33,400 SEK 33,500 SEK 32,700 SEK 5,300
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 33,500 SEK 33,700 SEK 32,500 SEK 3,400
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 33,500 SEK 33,600 SEK 32,300 SEK 2,400
No information about level of educational attainment 32,900 SEK 32,900 SEK – 140

Pay by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 30,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 34,100 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,600 SEK 6,100
East-Central Sweden 33,000 SEK 33,100 SEK 32,600 SEK 4,900
Småland and islands 32,300 SEK 32,400 SEK 31,900 SEK 1,600
South Sweden 33,100 SEK 33,300 SEK 32,300 SEK 3,400
West Sweden 33,200 SEK 33,300 SEK 32,800 SEK 4,800
North-Central Sweden 34,100 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,500 SEK –
Central Norrland 32,000 SEK 32,100 SEK – 300
Upper Norrland 32,900 SEK 33,100 SEK – –

Pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 25,800 SEK in 2014 to 33,200 SEK in 2025, +29% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 8331, “buss- och spårvagnsförare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Busschaufför
  • Bussförare
  • Chaufför, buss
  • Färdtjänstbussförare
  • Skolbussförare
  • Spårvagnsförare
  • Testförare, buss

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a bus driver in Sweden?

The median salary for a bus driver in Sweden is 33,200 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so bus and tram drivers sit 13% lower than the typical job.

How much does a bus driver earn after tax?

The median salary for a bus driver is 33,200 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 26,681 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for bus and tram drivers?

The average (33,400 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (33,200 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what bus and tram drivers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a bus driver in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: bus and tram drivers aged 18–24 years earn 32,600 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 30,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for bus and tram drivers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 36,500 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among bus and tram drivers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 33,300 SEK for men and 32,600 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a bus driver earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where bus and tram drivers earn 34,100 SEK per month on average.

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