Zūm has announced that its ride service for children is expanding beyond Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area and is now available in eight new US markets.
With this market expansion, Zūm now serves over 250 school districts and 4,000 schools across seven states, in cities including Sacramento, San Diego, Miami, Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle and the Washington DC Metro area.
Zūm’s technology is designed to reduce school overheads by utilising smaller, more eco-friendly and efficient vehicles, while also streamlining route planning and providing real-time tracking of rides.
“Until now, schools have not had vehicle options outside of the big yellow bus, and have relied on processes that are economically, environmentally and technologically outdated,” said Ritu Narayan, co-founder and CEO of Zūm. “Just as a school would never utilise just 20% of its classrooms, administrators are recognising that the bus is not always the best solution to get children where they need to go.”
According to Zūm, all rides are provided by drivers that have at least three years or more of childcare experience. Drivers undergo rigorous background checks and SafeSchool training courses through its partnership with Vector Solutions.
In addition, Zūm is also partnered with KidsAndCars.org, a child safety organisation for non-traffic related car safety initiatives, to advise on procedural and safety protocols.
Grace Garner, chief business officer with the Garvey School District, said: “When seeking an alternative transportation option for our district, our number one focus was to find a better experience for our students – shorter commutes and real-time insight into the student’s location.
“We transport more than 90 special education students a day, and the majority of them went from being on the bus more than 45 minutes, to under 15 minutes. On top of this efficiency, the district saved over a half a million dollars in our first year using Zūm instead of buses.”
