LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today Zūm, the tech-enabled student transportation provider, partnered with Teamsters Local 572 to honor Los Angeles school bus drivers. These exceptional community workers play a critical role in safely and reliably transporting thousands of students in the Los Angeles United School District every day.
The luncheon and awards ceremony welcomed more than 200 bus drivers, city representatives, school board members, district leaders, community members, Teamsters Local 572, and Zūm employees to the Zūm bus yard in Gardena, California.
Honors included the inaugural “Suzette Johnson Award,” named after a beloved Zūm driver serving Los Angeles Unified School District students for 20+ years. Suzette passed away earlier this year. The award was given to Jacqueline Kendrick, a revered driver for 35-plus years, who is known for her exceptional service in the community, going above and beyond when it comes to looking out for our children and getting them to and from school safely.
Additionally, “Community Excellence Awards” were given to drivers who perform their job with excellence each day, always prioritizing safety and reliability while driving students. As well as two officers who are relentless in their dedication and service to the community.
Jose Aranda, Spring Street Yard
Rosemary Leon, Spring Street Yard
Veronica Herrera, Valley Yard
Karen Olivo, Valley Yard
Darryl Naylor, Valley Yard
Michael Fisher, Gardena Yard
Gerardo Gomez-Reynoso, Gardena Yard
Carolyn Allen, Gardena Yard
Rachelle Tunstall, Gardena Yard
Officer Phillips
Officer Gallow
“The holiday season is a time when we want to celebrate and honor those who play instrumental roles in our communities,” said Ritu Narayan, CEO of Zūm. “Our dedicated bus drivers ensure our children have equitable access to the education and support services they deserve. They are the heart of what we do at Zūm. We have ensured that our drivers have access to the best equipment, facilities, technology and work environment and I am proud to honor them for their hard work and commitment.”
“Bus drivers are central to helping our schools and families thrive in Los Angeles,” said Teamsters Local 572 President, Lourdes Garcia. “It was our privilege to join Zūm in honoring these workers for their outstanding achievement and the time, care and compassion that they put into their jobs.”
Added City of Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes: “I was so impressed by the drivers I met today, at our very own Carson yard, who make our children smile and keep them safe – and also bring peace of mind to parents and educators. Many have been driving our city’s students for decades, and I was thrilled to help recognize them for their service and for being able to give them a school bus yard that they could call their home base.”
Zūm is transforming school transportation, the largest mass transit system in the U.S. making it tech-enabled, data-driven and sustainable. This modern and student-centric way of transporting students has been adopted by school districts across the U.S. including large urban school districts like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Oakland Unified.
For more information, visit our website: www.ridezum.com or blog.
About Zūm
Zum has reimagined student transportation, the nation’s largest mass transit system. Our robust operations and integrated, end-to-end, cloud-based platform provides a modern student transportation service for school districts purpose-built around the needs of kids and the expectations of their families. Zūm provides one seamless, real-time interface for parents, drivers, schools, districts, administrators and operators to transport children safely and with increased visibility and personalized care. Always investing in the well-being of the communities, Zum is also the only carbon-neutral student transportation provider in the nation with plans to go Net Zero with EV transition. Learn more at www.ridezum.com.
About Teamsters Local 527
Teamsters Local 572, located in Carson, California, represents over 11,000 private and public sector employees throughout the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.
