Passenger Attendants
Machines can already do 27% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 52%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Passenger Attendants in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 27% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 12% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2034, and 52% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 27,110 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $37,720 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 84% for contact with people.
- Also called: Attendant, Bus Aide, Bus Assistant, Bus Attendant.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps | 18% | 3% to 30% | |
| Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people | 18% | 3% to 30% | |
| Respond to passengers' questions, requests, or complaints | 15% | 35% to 58% | |
| Greet passengers boarding transportation equipment and announce routes and stops | 9% | 35% to 58% | |
| Provide customers with information on routes, gates, prices, timetables, terminals, or concourses | 9% | 83% to 87% | |
| Perform equipment safety checks prior to departure | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Determine or facilitate seating arrangements | 6% | 10% to 32% | |
| Count and verify tickets and seat reservations and record numbers of passengers boarding and disembarking | 6% | 70% to 95% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills passenger attendants use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Psychiatric Aides44% of tasks by 2035 · US median $44,910
- School Bus Monitors49% of tasks by 2035 · US median $35,100
- Childcare Workers44% of tasks by 2035 · US median $34,980
- Nannies42% of tasks by 2035 · US median $34,980
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Passenger Attendants?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2034. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of passenger attendants?
Machines can do 27% of the tasks of passenger attendants today and 52% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 53-6061.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Passenger Attendants: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/passenger-attendants/