Zūm’s AI-Powered System Is Addressing Pain Points and Driving Measurable Results for School Districts Nationwide
According to new research conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, 54% of parents report their child has expressed worry or concern about using school transportation. This anxiety – caused by uncertainty, delays, and disruption in getting to and from school – doesn’t end when students arrive; it shows up in the classroom and makes learning harder. It ripples through families and school communities every single day. Based on missed school days and late bus arrivals alone, legacy systems create approximately 55 billion lost instructional minutes per year, or roughly $15 billion in wasted educational spending.
The research identifies a widespread but under-recognized problem, which Zum calls the “Transportation Anxiety Crisis.” This anxiety can show up in the classroom, making it harder for students to learn in the classroom.
Zum is transforming student mobility nationwide — and easing transportation anxiety — through its fully integrated Connected Mobility Experience (CMX™) system that connects people, vehicles, and operations in real time, creating reliable, transparent and efficient transportation for families and schools.
“Before Zum, we had no real-time visibility,” says Kim Raney, Executive Director of Transportation, Procurement, & Warehouse – Business Operations for Oakland Unified School District (CA). “Parents would call asking where the bus was, and by the time we got an answer, the child was already home. Now everyone sees the same information and the anxiety just disappears.”
Addressing Transportation Anxiety
Zum CMX™ is a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered system that is enabling transportation operations to move from disconnection and anxiety to measurable improvements in reliability, transparency, and efficiency for students and districts nationwide.
Adopted in 17 states, Zūm CMX now provides a unified, connected system across more than 4,500 schools, enhancing the overall student experience for each stakeholder — students, parents, school, districts, drivers and operators.
Making a Difference in School Districts Coast-to-Coast
Zūm CMX is being adopted by major districts from coast-to-coast, including Omaha Public Schools, Boston Public Schools, Kansas City Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified, and San Francisco Unified.
Unlike traditional systems that rely on disconnected vendors and manual processes, Zūm CMX is an AI-driven system that integrates apps and dashboards, platform capabilities, operations, people, and physical infrastructure. Zūm CMX seamlessly orchestrates routing, dispatch, workforce management, safety systems, and stakeholder communications within a single operating model to deliver delightful mobility experiences to all stakeholders.
Improving the Lives of Students and Families – One District at a Time
Zūm CMX is benefitting students, parents, schools, drivers and operators in measurable ways:
The results in Kansas City Public Schools are stunning:
- One year after being implemented, Zūm CMX has driven an 89% increase in ridership
- Transportation-related absences went from 25% to 5.6%
- Student attendance increased by 2.5% and extracurricular competitive access by 150+%
- Graduation rate hit a decades-high of 88.6%
A Proven Approach to Student Mobility
Zūm CMX is improving access to education while helping districts save money. It is ensuring students arrive at school safely and on time so they are ready to learn — while keeping parents and schools connected at every turn.
Learn more about how Zūm CMX is delivering modern transportation solutions to thousands of schools nationwide at www.ridezum.com.
