Zhao Caisen was arrested in connection with the April 10 crash on the southern island of Hainan, according to Xinhua news agency, which cited a statement from Hainan provincial prosecutors.
The bus had been carrying 47 people and was one of 14 buses on a school outing to Chengmai county. The victims were four boys and four girls in first grade, where students are usually aged 6 to 7.
Xinhua said that Zhao was accused of not being in control of the bus while driving on a slippery road that was under construction and failing to identify its brakes as defective before starting the trip.