Zūm

Zūm is excited to share the next installment in the Driving America Forward blog series, with Teddy Roy, Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Foley: "In the field of student transportation, which has been behind the times for so long, transparency and peace of mind are innovative–and Zūm is driving that charge." To read Teddy's full, fantastic interview, visit our blog below. Thank you Teddy, and look for more posts to come. https://lnkd.in/gaUbjqb8

In a new story for National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) School BUSRide magazine, Zūm shares how technology is improving the school bus experience for students across the country. “For all of these kids, routine is so important,” says Jenny Moore, a mother of two in San Francisco. Moore’s fifth-grade son, who has special needs, relies on the school bus to get to school each day. Along with a reliable and friendly driver, Moore says using Zum’s technology platform to track the bus has been a game-changer for her family. “I can show him, ‘Look, this is where (bus driver) Hilda is. Consistency truly sets him up for success for the school day,” she says. With robust, real-time data and a turnkey solution that improves safety, communication, and efficiency, the school bus experience becomes safer and more predictable. Read the full article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g7TTY9Zi  #NAPTSchoolBUSRide #studenttransportation

In a fantastic profile from School Bus Fleet, Susan Moorehead, area safety and training manager at Zūm, discusses her dedication to safety and approach to driver training – as well as her 50 years of experience driving school buses in San Francisco. “I think the bus driver plays a very vital role in the community, in the child’s life,” Moorehead says. “There’s a lot of times when the driver is the first person a student sees.” She adds, “When you open the door of the bus, you’re opening the door to their educational process.” Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g6jFx9dc

In an in-depth conversation with GIC, Zūm CEO and Founder Ritu Narayan shares how Zūm is contributing to grid resilience by using electric school bus batteries to send energy back to local grids. “School buses are the ideal assets to be electrified,” Narayan says. “They have a very predictable local commute pattern. When they are not used for transportation in the evenings, they can be brought back to the yard and plugged back to give energy back to the grid.” In 2024, Zum made history by deploying the nation’s first all-electric school bus fleet in Oakland Unified School District, which was also equipped with bidirectional chargers that send energy from the EVs back to the grid. “We are developing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) infrastructure — bidirectionally charging infrastructure,” Narayan adds. “By doing that, we are able to sell the excess capacity, which is left there in the school buses at the end of the day, to the grid. We believe the playbook that we have implemented in Oakland can be easily scaled to any district across the country.” Read and/or watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gAVWCFX9

We’re excited to announce that Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) has awarded a technology contract to Zūm to provide a single integrated platform to power the district’s student transportation. VBCPS has deployed Zum’s platform, which includes sophisticated routing software and GPS tracking as well as Zum’s Parent App. “We are honored to welcome Virginia Beach City Public Schools as our newest school district partner,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zum. “Zum’s state-of-the-art technology provides students, families and schools with increased safety, efficiency, transparency and communication. We are proud of the positive impact we are making in thousands of schools nationwide, and we will not stop until every student has a safe, reliable ride to and from school.” “Families in our division deserve top-notch student transportation, and we are excited to partner with Zum to provide an exceptional experience,” said VBCPS Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. “I am confident this new tool will help us continue to deliver reliable bus rides for our students and peace of mind for our parents.” “This technology allows us to be more responsive and efficient than ever before,” added James Lash, executive director of transportation and fleet management services for Virginia Beach City Public Schools. “With real-time tracking and dynamic routing, we are better equipped to ensure safe and on-time rides for our students, even when unexpected challenges arise.” Learn more about this new partnership: https://lnkd.in/gKzU4r_D

Zūm is excited to share our new blog series, DRIVING AMERICA FORWARD. In it, we'll talk with parents, school administrators, drivers, bus partners and more, in order highlight stories of opportunity and innovation. Our first post is with our incredible partner Kimberly Raney, Director of Transportation at Oakland Unified School District. Kim has been dogged in her pursuit of improving transportation for the students of Oakland, and critical to our electrification of Oakland's bus fleet - the first fully electrified school bus fleet in the country. Find her inspiring interview on our blog, below - and join us we constantly innovate to drive America forward. https://lnkd.in/gwHMwS3b

Today, the Financial Times announced that Zūm has been named to its annual “The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies” list, a recognition that supports Zum’s position as the leader in modern student transportation. Zum ranks No. 28 on this year’s list of the top 300 companies and is the highest-ranking company in the Logistics & Transportation category. This is the third year in a row that Zum has been named to this prestigious list of innovative leaders across North, South, and Latin America. “Zum is leading a national movement to change the status quo in student transportation and transform how we apply critical technological innovation into the largest mass transit system in the country,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zum. “We are delighted to be named one of The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times for the third year in a row, and to be included on a list of some of the most impressive companies across this Hemisphere.” Learn more about this recognition here:  https://lnkd.in/gk-fFdTw Statista #fastestgrowing #studenttransportation

In recognition of #WomensHistoryMonth, we’re celebrating the thousands of women nationwide who support Zūm’s mission to change the status quo in student transportation. From superintendents and drivers to parents and local leaders, we are fortunate to work alongside so many women who want to move the industry forward. Founder and CEO Ritu Narayan started Zum to solve the decades-long problem of ensuring safe, reliable student transportation for all children – including her own. We are grateful for the contributions of so many women across the country! Meet several women working to change the status quo in #studenttransportation: https://lnkd.in/gFTZN-su These incredible women include superintendents nationwide include: Dr. Jennifer Collier, Superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools; Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District; Mary Skipper, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools; Dr. Verletta White, Ed.D. White, Superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools; Dr. Adrienne Battle, Superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools; Dr. Millicent Borishade, Superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools; Dr. Jennifer Murray, Superintendent of Reading School District l Reading, Pa.; and Dr. Maria Su, Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District. As well many other remarkable leaders, such as: LISA GRANT-DAWSON, Chief Business Officer, Oakland Unified School District; Kimberly Raney, Executive Director of Transportation, Oakland Unified School District; Beverly Redmond, Chief of Staff, Seattle Public Schools; Laura Dudnick, Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs, San Francisco Unified School District; Jacqueline Hayes, Deputy Director of Transportation, Boston Public Schools; Marie Espinoza, Director of Transportation, San Bernardino City Unified School District Unified; Cindy Coleman, Chief Finance and Business Services Officer, Spokane Public Schools; and Bridget Blevins, APR, External Relations Administrator and Media Relations Lead, Omaha Public Schools; and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Exciting news: Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) has awarded a 5-year transportation contract to Zūm for safe, efficient and tech-enabled student transportation. PSUSD serves more than 20,000 students in 28 schools. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, this partnership with Zum will enable the district to deliver superior service built around the needs of PSUSD students and families along with the teachers, administrators and drivers committed to creating the best educational experience for children. “Each day our school community works hard to provide a safe and supportive environment where students can learn and thrive,” said Dr. Tony Signoret, PSUSD Superintendent of Schools. “Through our partnership with Zum, families will experience state-of-the-art technology that will give them greater visibility into their child’s bus location and driver – and greater peace of mind. We were impressed by Zum’s customer service and share their mission to ensure every student has a safe, dependable ride to and from school.”   "Zum’s partnership with Palm Springs Unified School District signals a growing national movement for modern, safe and equitable student transportation,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zum. “We are excited by this new partnership and look forward to working with the PSUSD community." Learn more about this partnership here: https://lnkd.in/gzs7PF_G Additionally, Zum will be hosting school bus driver hiring events on Wednesday, April 2 and Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the Courtyard Marriott Palm Springs (1300 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. The company will be hiring over 75 certified school bus drivers, 8 van drivers (non-CDL), and 24 attendants/monitors. We are delighted to welcome Palm Springs USD as a school district partner!

We are excited to announce that Zūm has been honored on Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025! The annual list recognizes companies that are moving the needle for business and culture. Zum ranks at No. 3 in the Sustainability category on this year’s list. “We are honored to be recognized on Fast Company’s prestigious list of Most Innovative Companies for our work in modernizing student transportation for families, drivers and schools across the country,” said Ritu Narayan, CEO and Founder of Zum. “Our innovations have transformed the safety, efficiency and equity of the school bus system, with the added benefit of improving grid reliability and resiliency using vehicle-to-grid technology to power the grid with electric school bus batteries. We’re grateful to our partners who share our commitment to reshaping the future of the industry.” “Our list of the Most Innovative Companies offers both a comprehensive look at innovation today and a playbook for the future,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “This year, we recognize companies that are harnessing AI in deep and meaningful ways, brands that are turning customers into superfans by overdelivering for them, and challengers that are introducing bold ideas and vital competition to their industries. At a time when the world is rapidly shifting, these companies are charting the way forward.” The complete list of Most Innovative Companies can be found at https://lnkd.in/ekxmwYzp. Learn more about this announcement and how Zum is modernizing student transportation for thousands of schools: https://lnkd.in/gHGmHXVF