AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places shuttle drivers and chauffeurs in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +7.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 35,500 openings a year.

Short answer

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.

BLS AI exposure: ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score: 59/100Higher than 83% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change: +7.1%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year: 35,500BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed shuttle drivers and chauffeurs are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

Low203 occupations · 26%
Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
High190 occupations · 24%
Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

Assisting and caring for others4.3/5
O*NET work activity, importance
Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment4.8/5
O*NET work activity, importance
Performing for or working directly with the public3.9/5
O*NET work activity, importance
Working outdoors in all weather4.4/5
O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

Documenting/recording information3.8/5
O*NET work activity, importance
Getting information4.5/5
O*NET work activity, importance
Time spent sitting4.0/5
O*NET work context, frequency or level
Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.7/5
O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs

Test vehicle equipment, such as lights, brakes, horns, or windshield wipers, to ensure proper operation.
Comply with traffic regulations to operate vehicles in a safe and courteous manner.
Follow relevant safety regulations and state laws governing vehicle operation, and ensure that passengers follow safety regulations.
Check the condition of a vehicle's tires, brakes, windshield wipers, lights, oil, fuel, water, and safety equipment to ensure that everything is in working order.
Drive shuttle busses, limousines, company cars, or privately owned vehicles to transport passengers.
Regulate heating, lighting, and ventilation systems for passenger comfort.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +7.1% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 35,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 248,530 people work in the job today, at a median of $37,290 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full shuttle driver and chauffeur profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than shuttle drivers and chauffeurs

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.

Crane and Tower Operator
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$68,080median a year
Growth
+3.8%
Openings / yr
3,500
Education
High school
Low
BLS AI exposure
76/100
resilience
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendant
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$35,670median a year
Growth
+3.8%
Openings / yr
12,900
Education
No formal credential
Low
BLS AI exposure
64/100
resilience
Service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories.
Sailor and Marine Oiler
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$51,520median a year
Growth
+3.2%
Openings / yr
3,600
Education
No formal credential
Low
BLS AI exposure
63/100
resilience
Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot.
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operator
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$46,420median a year
Growth
+1.5%
Openings / yr
64,700
Education
No formal credential
Low
BLS AI exposure
62/100
resilience
Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$35,830median a year
Growth
+3.9%
Openings / yr
51,500
Education
No formal credential
Low
BLS AI exposure
61/100
resilience
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$40,240median a year
Growth
+1.8%
Openings / yr
340,500
Education
No formal credential
Low
BLS AI exposure
60/100
resilience
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling.

Will AI replace crane operators?Will AI replace automotive and watercraft service attendants?Will AI replace forklift operators?Will AI replace cleaners of vehicles and equipment?

Questions

Will AI Replace Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs? FAQ

Will AI replace shuttle drivers and chauffeurs?

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +7.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 35,500 openings a year.

How exposed are shuttle drivers and chauffeurs to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs are in the moderate category, alongside 193 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of a shuttle driver and chauffeur's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, getting information and time spent sitting. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment and performing for or working directly with the public. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being a shuttle driver and chauffeur a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, shuttle drivers and chauffeurs score 59 out of 100, higher than 83% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $37,290 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to shuttle drivers and chauffeurs are less exposed to AI?

Crane and Tower Operator (low exposure, $68,080 median), Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendant (low exposure, $35,670 median), Sailor and Marine Oiler (low exposure, $51,520 median), Industrial Truck and Tractor Operator (low exposure, $46,420 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.