Latest news with #Zum
Boston Globe
28-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Wu administration is steering Boston's school buses in the right direction
Now, though, data from the new bus-riding app Zum has enabled the city to more easily identify students who aren't riding the bus — and act on that data. Under Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up That's a substantial number, considering that only about 17,000 BPS students rode the bus as of 2022 (the city also provides busing to some charter and private school students). District officials say that adjusting the routes will make the buses quicker and more punctual, bringing the district closer to meeting its target of 95 percent on-time performance. Advertisement 'The goal is not to take transportation away from anyone, the goal is to offer transportation they can count on,' said Jackie Hayes, the district's deputy director of transportation. Transportation costs about $180 million this year — which, by comparison, is larger than Coming up with a way to flag no-shows, and adjust routes accordingly, was recommended in a 2022 consultants' The number of students whose special education plans call for door-to-door bus service has increased by more than 50 percent over the last decade, according to the The big picture here is that bus on-time rates have inched upward over the last few years — but not without substantial difficulty. In another reform recommended in the 2022 report, the city rearranged its school start times to make bus logistics easier. Better on-time rates means students getting more learning time with fewer interruptions, and less angst for parents and teachers. Advertisement One of the most impactful remaining steps, though, might also be the hardest. The bus system's size and complexity is a reflection of how many schools the city still operates, despite its declining enrollment, coupled with a school assignment system that sometimes sends students far from home. That can lead to half-empty buses crisscrossing the city taking students to underenrolled schools. As the city's Improving the bus system certainly isn't the main reason the city should continue its ongoing efforts to reduce its physical size. The most important reason is that students benefit academically if they attend fully enrolled schools. Like school consolidation, the point of making the buses run more smoothly isn't solely to save money: It's to improve the quality of public education. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Boston Public Schools students could lose bus transportation under new ridership policy
Boston Public Schools has unveiled a new ridership policy that could lead to some students losing bus transportation. Starting in May, BPS said it will be 'taking a step towards increasing the efficiency' of busing students to school. After 10 consecutive days of a student not riding the bus without prior notification in the Zum app, BPS will notify parents that their child is being opted out of their scheduled bus route. This change comes after BPS estimated that close to 1,000 students have 'consistently not been riding the bus this school year.' BPS says it's responsible for transporting more than 22,000 students to more than 200 schools on a daily basis. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Financial Times Names Zum to Its 2025 List of The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies
Recognition Marks Third Year in A Row Zum Has Appeared on Prestigious List REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 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." Zum unifies parents, students, school administrators and drivers on a single personalized end-to-end technology platform, enabling never-before-achieved levels of visibility and data-backed accountability. Through the Zum app, parents can view a profile of their child's bus driver, along with real-time tracking and notifications about their school bus location and their child's pickup or dropoff status. Zum also allows administrators to optimize routes and provides staff with real-time data and performance reports. Zum currently serves thousands of schools across 14 states, including districts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland; Boston; Seattle; Spokane; Nashville; Omaha; Kansas City, Mo.; Howard County, Md.; and more. "From new school district partnerships to launching the nation's first all-electric school bus fleet with the ability to power the grid, we have made great strides in the past year in delivering a safe, reliable and equitable student transportation solution," Narayan added. "We are grateful to all of the families, drivers, school districts and communities nationwide that support our mission." Zum made history this year by launching the nation's first fully electrified school bus fleet in Oakland, CA that is equipped with groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology that enables the buses to return 2.1 gigawatt hours of energy to the grid, overall improving grid resilience and reliability during times of peak demand. This technology will soon be deployed at scale. "The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies" is compiled by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista, and features the top 300 companies in the Americas that have achieved the strongest growth in revenues between 2020 and 2023. Data was collected through official sources like publicly available earning presentations, investor relations, websites and annual reports. The complete list of The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies 2025 can be found here. To learn more about how Zum is working with thousands of schools across the nation to deliver safe, reliable and modern student transportation, please visit Zum's website. About ZūmZum is a modern transportation solution transforming school transportation, the largest mass transit system in the U.S. Today, the company provides turnkey modern transportation solutions to school districts in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Utah, and Virginia, and is expanding rapidly nationwide. Recognized globally for its innovative transportation and energy as a service platform, Zum has been featured among Fast Company's World Changing Ideas, CNBC Disruptor 50, CNBC Changemakers, World Economic Forum and Financial Times' Fastest Growing Companies. Learn more about Zum at CONTACT: Jenny Mayfield, Vice President of Communications – press@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zūm Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Zum to Host School Bus Driver and Attendant Hiring Fair for Saint Louis Public Schools
Existing drivers and new candidates are welcome at March 4-6 event in preparation for 2025-26 school year REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zūm, which has been awarded a three-year student transportation contract with Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) beginning in the 2025-26 school year, will host a three-day hiring event for school bus drivers and attendants on Tuesday, March 4; Wednesday, March 5; and Thursday, March 6, 2025; at the Courtyard St. Louis Downtown West (2340 Market St., St. Louis, MO 63103) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. (For existing drivers or those who work later afternoon hours, the hiring event will remain open until 6pm to ensure access). Zum is hiring 242 drivers and 55 attendants to cover 220 bus routes and serve the families of Saint Louis Public Schools. Certified drivers and attendants are encouraged to attend, as well as anyone considering a new career as a school bus driver. Zum pays for training and certification for those who are not yet certified. Zum offers competitive wages for school bus drivers ($28.07-$32.54/hour) and attendants ($17-$19.71/hour), guaranteed hours and modern benefits for all drivers, attendants and staff. Additionally, Zum provides top-of-the-line buses, equipment and technology to enhance safety and comfort for students and drivers and make drivers' day-to-day jobs easier and more enjoyable. Advanced training and certification programs include extensive ongoing training in transporting students with diverse needs and disabilities. "Zum shares our commitment to prioritizing the safety of students and drivers, and we encourage current drivers and new candidates to attend next week's hiring event," said Dr. Millicent Borishade, Superintendent of SLPS. "Through Zum, drivers will experience new, air-conditioned buses and state-of-the-art technology as well as other benefits. We look forward to launching this partnership in the 2025-26 school year." "Drivers are at the heart of what we do at Zum, and we are excited to build our team of bus drivers in Saint Louis Public Schools," said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zum. "At this hiring fair, we are excited to meet existing drivers and attendants as well as anyone looking for a new career. We take great pride in being a choice employer in cities where we have partnerships." Zum is a "Great Places to Work" certified company, committed to providing the safe, reliable, efficient and modern transportation services that SLPS students, families, school and district administrators and drivers deserve. Anyone interested in driving or who knows someone interested that cannot attend one of Zum's hiring events can apply here. Zum manages and operates student transportation in over 4,000 schools across 14 states nationwide. To learn more about how Zum is working with thousands of schools to deliver safe, reliable and modern student transportation, please visit Zum's website. About Zūm Zum is a modern transportation solution transforming school transportation, the largest mass transit system in the U.S. Today, the company provides turnkey modern transportation solutions to school districts in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Utah and Virginia, and is expanding rapidly nationwide. Recognized globally for its innovative transportation and energy as a service platform, Zum has been featured among Fast Company's World Changing Ideas, CNBC Disruptor 50, CNBC Changemakers, World Economic Forum and Financial Times' Fastest Growing Companies. Learn more about Zum at CONTACT:Jenny Mayfield, Vice President of Communications - press@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zūm
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Louis Public Schools to sign Zum Services as new transportation vendor
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) is turning to a California-based tech startup to help solve its ongoing transportation issues. The St. Louis Public School District school board has approved a new transportation partner for the district. The move comes after years of transportation struggles for SLPS with bus driver shortages and last-minute cancellations leaving families frustrated. According to our reporting partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the district is moving forward with a plan to bring in Zum Services Inc.; it's a company already working in cities like Los Angeles and Kansas City. The new fleet of buses will include several features, including real-time tracking for families. The district has experienced several transportation issues this year because of a driver shortage and losing several bus service providers. Now, the school board is hoping to change that. This week, SLPS approved a proposal for Zum to take over 220 bus routes across the city for 30 million dollars a year but this won't happen overnight. SLPS is still reportedly negotiating a contract with Zum. List: The more than 500 JOANN stores expected to close amid second bankruptcy filing According to the company, they plan to start drivers at 28 dollars an hour with benefits. They've already seen success in Kansas City, where Zum buses had a 98 percent on-time rate in their first year. That's much better than what St. Louis students and parents have dealt with. Some families said cab companies refused to pick up students when snow hit our area, exposing more cracks in the district's current transportation plan. Zum is working to transition its national fleet to electric and SLPS is still waiting on 60 electric buses paid for by federal grants but with a federal spending freeze in place, their arrival date is uncertain. SLPS leaders will begin contract negotiations with the tech start-up soon. If everything proceeds as planned, these new buses could be available by next fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
